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Police return lost World War I dog tag to veteran's family

RANDOLPH, Mass. — A Massachusetts police department has used social media to track down the family of a World War I soldier whose nearly 100-year-old dog tag was found along the side of a road.

Randolph police returned the military ID of Joseph Hughes to his family after receiving tips from the public in response to a social media campaign launched by Officer Kevin Aldred.

The search for the Hughes' family started after a resident walking his dog found the dog tag this month. Officer Aldred sought help from the Fort Devens Museum before turning to Facebook to gain information on Hughes.

A New Hampshire genealogist found that Hughes served in Europe from 1917 to 1919.

The dog tag was given to Hughes' namesake and eldest grandson, 66-year-old Walpole resident Joseph Hughes.