08/14/2026
Every Artifact Has a Story — Now We’re Trying to Find His
Sometimes a donation to The Last Patrol becomes more than a group of artifacts. It becomes a mystery waiting to be solved.
Recently, Jen our Friend from Rotory donated several military items connected to an old house she had to empty. B. E. Duran, whose name and Toledo address were found among the items, on a luggage tag attached to an old bag in very bad condition. The rest of the group includes an Ike-style uniform jacket with PFC stripes on both sleeves, military insignia, (photographs attached), and a 5' × 9½' U.S. flag that appears to be a casket flag.
As we began examining everything, the pieces started raising more questions.
Who was B. E. Duran? Was he the serviceman who wore this uniform? Where and when did he serve? And what story connects all of these artifacts?
We have already been able to establish that it is Benjamin E. Duran. Him and Margarette K. lived at the Toledo address associated with the collection, giving us an important starting point.
Our next step is to begin working through military and archival records to see if we can positively identify Mr. Duran's service and reconnect these artifacts with the man and the history behind them.
This is one of our favorite parts of preserving history. An old uniform isn't just a uniform, and a folded flag isn't just a flag. They belonged to someone. They represent a life, a family, and a story worth remembering.
Thank you, Jen, for trusting The Last Patrol with these pieces of history.
Now the research begins.
Saving History — Teaching Youth
