WWII soldier wore his sweetheart's class ring to battle. 70 years later, it's finally back on her finger

Losing a loved one is the most devastating thing that could happen to anyone. While they depart, leaving us, we count on their cherished memento to keep safely as a reminder of their presence. But what happens when a cherished item, which was believed to have been lost, finds its way back after several decades? That’s exactly what 94-year-old Betty McAleenan experienced with her class ring, given to her husband Robert Fisk. After she lost Robert, she didn't imagine seeing the ring again until she was reunited with it in January 2014, after 70 years!

"He was a wonderful, wonderful guy, and I fell madly in love like all people do at that age," Betty McAleenan, a Wyoming resident, said, recalling her late husband as she held her class ring tight in her palm. McAleenan knew Robert as a teenager and got married in 1942. To Betty, her class ring meant everything, but when her husband set out for World War II battle, she decided to hand him the ring to wear it in combat, hoping that they could be together despite the distance. Robert Fisk, a lieutenant colonel in the Wyoming Air National Guard, carried out 38 air missions in the South Pacific as a bomber gunner, but he lost the battle in the 39th mission in 1944, when his plane crashed over Papua New Guinea.

The Department of Defense reopened the investigation on her husband's crash decades later. It took more than 40 years to discover his remains and the wreckage of his plane, and another 30 for the ring to be returned to its original owner, Betty McAleenan. "I gave it to him so that way we could be together," Betty said through tears as she clutched onto the prized possession after several decades.

The cherished memento was finally returned from World War II to Betty, who now holds a piece of a heart that was lost with her husband’s passing. Now, it will serve as the closure she needed for all these years. Betty and Robert's family, too, were happy, saying, "The ring has now come full circle." Betty's story reminds us of an expedition led by Gabriela Cavallaro in 2025, where she recovered the backpack of Argentine mountaineer Guillermo Vieiro, who died in 1985. The backpack contained a camera with undeveloped film, which offered a rare glimpse into his final ascent. The discovery of his backpack allowed his daughters to connect with their father's legacy, as their mother had never discussed his mountaineering achievements.

McAleenan's sentiments toward the ring are mirrored in a study conducted by Emily L. Mroz and Susan Bluck in 2019, which explores how individuals prefer to memorialize lost loved ones, emphasizing the role of personal objects and behaviors in preserving memories. The authors found that memorializing through tangible items and rituals helps maintain a sense of connection with the deceased, which aids in the grieving process. Betty McAleenan's reunion with her class ring after 70 years proves the profound impact of personal items in the grieving process.

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