Vietnam vet has long lost Naval Academy ring returned by man who found it on a golf course

Any people ringing is special, but a U.S. Naval Academy people ringing is thing that only nan elite successful our state will ever gain nan correct to wear.

David Lorenzo, Class of 1964, had his ringing connected done galore combat missions while serving successful Southeast Asia during nan Vietnam War. The seasoned Marine Corps combatant aviator moreover had his Naval Academy ringing connected erstwhile his F-8 Crusader was deed by force occurrence forcing him to eject complete Laos successful January 1968 − he was rescued a fewer hours later by U.S. forces.

He would yet return to nan United States, and astir six years aft graduation, golfing pinch his begetter successful Pennsylvania, he mislaid nan prized ringing location connected nan course.

“It survived combat, but it couldn’t past my play game,” said Lorenzo, a sturdy and tough-looking 82-year-old.

Now, Lorenzo and that ringing person been reunited acknowledgment to a Pennsylvania man who recovered nan ringing this summertime connected nan aforesaid play people that Lorenzo mislaid nan ringing connected 54 years ago. Michael Zenert was adjacent nan 4th greenish astatine Uniontown Country Club adjacent Pittsburgh erstwhile he recovered nan ringing successful a clay splotch that had been exposed by caller rains.

“I saw this shiny point and I thought it was a brew tin tab,” said Zenert, 70. “I dug it retired truthful nary 1 would measurement connected it and I saw it was a ring.” He cleaned it up and saw it was a U.S. Naval Academy ring, people of 1964, pinch Lorenzo’s sanction engraved connected nan inside.

On Friday, Zenert returned nan ringing to Lorenzo astatine nan National Naval Aviation Museum astatine Naval Air Station Pensacola, wherever Lorenzo is simply a unpaid and besides nan narrator for nan Tuesday Blue Angels practices and Wednesday autograph sessions pinch nan U.S. Navy’s elite formation objection team.

“Let’s spot if it still fits,” Zenert said aft handing Lorenzo nan ringing successful beforehand of family members, friends and depository staff.

“I ne'er thought I would spot it again,” Lorenzo said. “It was very sad erstwhile I mislaid it, and this intends a lot.” Lorenzo’s wife, Cathy, purchased him a caller 1 years later, identical to nan ringing he lost. It’s connected his manus now. But Lorenzo tried to put his aged ringing connected arsenic well. It had been truthful long.

“Does it fit?” Zenert asked.

“Very close,” Lorenzo said, holding up his hand. “I tin get it to nan first knuckle.”

He’s bigger now. Wiser and older too.

“I was 145 pounds soaking bedewed backmost past pinch a 28-inch waist,” Lorenzo said. “That’s astir 50 pounds and 10 inches” quality from nan present.”

Zenert and his wife, Carol, unrecorded adjacent Pittsburgh, but he was capable to way Lorenzo down done nan net aft uncovering a podcast wherever Lorenzo talked astir his subject experiences.

“I conscionable knew I couldn’t nonstop this successful nan mail,” Zenert said of nan ring. “I knew it had to beryllium personally delivered.”

So, aft a travel to Orlando to spot his son, nan mates drove to Pensacola, arriving Thursday nighttime and gathering pinch nan Lorenzos Friday astatine nan museum.

Zenert presented Lorenzo nan people ringing successful beforehand of an F-8 Crusader connected display, akin to nan 1 Lorenzo flew successful combat. The supersonic combatant pitchy is known arsenic nan “Last of nan Gunfighters” because it was nan past combatant pitchy pinch guns arsenic its superior weapons.

Soon, pinch a Santa chapeau he had brought pinch him to return Christmas photos astatine nan museum, nan gray-bearded Zenert was successful nan cockpit, pinch Lorenzo connected nan broadside of nan pitchy showing nan cockpit’s features to him. Zenert’s look was covered pinch a Santa-sized smile.

“This is amazing,” he said. “I’ve ever loved planes and this spot is fantastic. I deliberation I’m having an overload, it’s that cool.”

Watching nan 2 men talk complete nan cockpit were their wives, Cathy Lorenzo and Carol Zenert, and a big of Museum officials and volunteers, including retired U.S. Navy Capt. Sterling Gilliam, National Naval Aviation Museum director, and retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, president and CEO of nan Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Also, location was Lorenzo’s longtime friend Debbie Naylor, a depository unpaid and longtime Delta Airlines formation attendant who has known him since nan first Nixon term.

Lorenzo went to alert for Delta aft heroically serving pinch nan Marine Corps for six years and nan 2 met there. He retired from Delta successful 2002.

“He’s conscionable an perfectly astonishing personification − what he’s done and accomplished,” Naylor said. “He is truthful talented and knowledgeable. I utilized to telephone him ‘the Encyclopedia’ because he conscionable knew everything. Now, I telephone him ‘Mr. Google’ because nan young group now don’t cognize what an encyclopedia is.”