Gone but not forgotten

A Granbury woman found military items and memorabilia in her attic and eventually found the family of the items and returned them.

Granbury resident Emily Hood was cleaning out her attic in preparation of turning it into an apartment. When she started to trash items, she noticed a box that stood out. It wasn’t until the next day she opened the box and found numerous military-related items.

She found annuals from school, pictures, military plaques, awards, and all sorts of things.

“I was very touched when I looked through his things. It was like he was saying I’m free if that makes sense… It was a great feeling,” Hood said. “What was strange was it was July 3^rd and I just felt the need to try and find his family because he should be respected. He shouldn’t be sitting in a loft somewhere in a box.”

Hood then took the information she had and put it out on Facebook to try to find anyone connected to Metcalfe, which is exactly what she did.

She found Metcalfe’s daughter on Facebook and connected through there.

“I was shocked and very happy. It brought back memories to find out Emily had found my dad’s military memories,” Michelle Metcalfe said.

Roger Lee Metcalfe was born in 1942 and passed away in 2010. He began serving in the Air Force right after his 18^th birthday in 1960 and served until 1983. He was in the Special Investigations Unit as a Master Sergeant and was also a Purple Heart recipient and received the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding service.

Michelle received two large booklets with certificates in them and a wooden plaque from the Office of Special Investigations. She also received two yearbooks from 1957 and 1959 from Brady Texas.

When Michelle received these items, she thought it was just her fathers’ things, but after looking through the items she found items that belonged to her grandfather, Woodrow Wilson Metcalfe.

Woodrow Wilson Metcalfe served in the Army for 15 years and was a Staff Sargent. He received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of the Army in 1981, as well as a Certificate of Retirement in recognition of his 15 years of service. 

Both Roger and Woodrow were Master Masons at their Masonic Lodges.

“I remember all the times they talked about their lives, family and jobs and were very proud to be Metcalfe’s. They also always bet one dollar on who was going to win the football game. I still have one of the bills where my grandaddy signed it to my dad. They were both loving, caring and dedicated men that I am very proud to call my dad and grandaddy,” Michelle said.

So next time you are cleaning out your attic, be sure to look at all the items before throwing them away because you never know what you are going to find.