A Fayette County high school running back said he has to have a sharp eye to find holes in the defense.
As Jimy Elling, a sophomore at Starr’s Mill High School, was leaving the school’s stadium after practice a few days ago, his eye spotted something else — something that hadn’t been seen for four months.
He found a U.S. Marine's ring that had the words "Iwo Jima" carved into it alongside an engraving of the iconic flag-raising photo, Channel 2 Action News reported. The discovery led Elling and his father to believe the ring belonged to a World War II veteran, possibly someone who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
“There’s several older vets from World War II around,” Drew Elling, the student’s father, told Channel 2. “So all of us were thinking, ‘Who could it be?’”
RELATED: Return to Iwo Jima
They began by taking the ring to the school’s principal, who ended up piecing the puzzle together. A former Starr’s Mill student’s name was inscribed on the ring.
“When we went to the inscription, the name struck a chord with me,” Allen Leonard told the news station. “Alex graduated from here a couple of years back.”
That hunch turned out to be correct, as the ring belonged to a much younger Marine than expected: Lance Cpl. Alex Davis.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
His mother, Laurie Davis, teaches at the school and said her son lost the ring when he was at his sister’s graduation in May.
“He graduated from Marine Corps boot camp in January,” she told Channel 2. “His grandparents gave him the ring as a gift from boot camp.”
The ring, which has spent the past four months lying in dirt, will soon be back on Davis’ finger, the news station reported. His mother said he might be able to come home for Thanksgiving and retrieve it.
“It feels great knowing that we found the owner of this ring,” Jimy Elling said. “He’s going to be happy that what was lost is now found. I thank him for serving our country.”
In other news:
About the Author
