It was a journey that took more than 30 years to complete.

From a lost duffel bag in Vietnam to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, the military dog tag that once hung from the neck of Billy Racca has been found and returned to the Vietnam veteran.

The Jennings native's dog tag was among the 37 dog tags Chicago Businessman V.R. Roskam, and his wife, Martha found in a basket of old coins at a Ho Chi Minh City souvenir stand while visiting Vietnam three years ago.

"When he told me he had my dog tag from Vietnam, I was stunned," said Racca, 53, a welder at Ballinger Ship Yards-in-Carlyss. "That was 35 years ago. I had kind of forgotten about it."

Roskam didn't know anything about the men whose names were stamped on the small, thin pieces of metal. But he knew they didn't belong in a souvenir stand - they belonged in the hands of the men who lost them fighting the Vietnam War, and he had to bring them home.

"It's a matter of honor," said Roskam, 75, a veteran of Korea.

"They fell into our hands and they need to be returned to the right people."

The Roskams purchased the tags for $20 and returned home where the sought help from their son, Peter Roskam, an Illinois state senator, in finding the veterans.

In the first 18 months of attempting to locate the families, the Roskams were successful in returning a handful of tags. Their efforts hit a plateau, but they did not give up.

In January, and article posted on CNN.com caught the eye of Glenda Kent, a retired Army master sergeant from Madison, Tenn. Kent decided to help the Roskams, conducting her own research and locating Racca.

Racca enlisted in the Marine Corps against his parents' wishes, after quitting high school at the age of 17. He was sent to Vietnam in 1968, serving with three Marine divisions before returning home 13 months later where he completed his two-year duty stationed in Virginia.

"It was pretty rough over there," Racca said. "I saw a lot of action being in the infantry."

When Racca left Vietnam, his duffel bag, containing his clothes, personal papers, dog tags, letters from home, and several undeveloped rolls of film was lost.

"I made it back to the states, but the bag never showed up," he said.

He never though much of the lost bag or its contents, which was never returned, until he return a telephone call to Roskam.

"I was surprised," he said noting that he first though tit was a prank.

"I really didn't know what to think. I couldn't believe it was my tag."

Roskam, sales executive with the Oil-Dri Corp., told Racca he'd mail the tag to him, but decided to deliver it in person while on a business trip to New Orleans.

Roskam made a three-hour drive to the Racca home in Jennings and presented Billy and his wife, Mona, with the discolored and dented tin strip.

"It brought back a lot of bad and a lot of good (memories)," Racca said seeing his old dog tag for the time in nearly three decades.

"It wasn't all bad. I was just glad to get it back and coming from him (a veteran) made it even better."

Racca said he was amazed that Roskam thought enough of the military ID to deliver it in person.

"He came just to bring me the tag and thank me, and then he drove the three hours back to New Orleans when he had an early morning meeting." Racca said.

"Not too many people would do that for a stranger. It's unbelievable."

The two have kept in touch since the visit.

Mona Racca said she is also proud that someone would do this for her husband of 32 years.

"All these years and nobody cared," she said.

Racca, who attributes his survival in Vietnam to being in the right place at the right time, said he plans to frame the dog tag and hang it in his Davis Street home "just as a reminder."

"I was lucky, I guess, because I lost a few buddies over there," he said.

Racca still has an old uniform hanging in his closet and a few military-issued caps along with a group photo of his platoon and an old yearbook.