GILA COUNTY, Ariz. - When Austin Haught served in the U.S. Navy in 1945, his duffel bag was lost at sea when a typhoon nearly sunk the USS Sierra off the shore of Okinawa at the end of the second World War. All cargo was lost at sea after the typhoon hit the ship.
That U.S. Navy-issued bag, which contained Haught's personal items, was found and returned to Haught by his brother, Homer, in 1949.
But, when Haught moved from his home in Gisela, Ariz. in 2018, he accidentally left behind his duffel bag, which he used on a regular basis over the past 60 years.
When Haught tried to contact the new owners of the home, he was unsuccessful.
“It’s not worth a quarter but it’s worth a lot to me,” Haught said in a Facebook post from the Gila County Sheriff's Office.
When Deputy Mark Highstreet with the Gila County Sheriff's Office heard about this, he worked to contact the new owners of the home, who were able to locate the bag.
Deputy Highstreet and Sgt. Jamie Garrett returned the duffel bag to Haught at his Payson home on Memorial Day.
Haught said he will pass along the stories of the war and the duffel bag to his children after he leaves.
Haught was born in 1926 and joined the Navy in 1943 and was then assigned to destroyer ship, the USS Sierra AD18., according to the Facebook post. At the end of World War II, Haught and 950 sailors began the trip back to the U.S. from Okinawa when the typhoon hit. Winds that hit the ship were recorded at 145 miles per hour.
Haught came back home to Arizona after the war and worked as a ranch hand at the 76 Ranch in Tonto Basin.
