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By Paul Chasko

A very old World War II history book purchased at an estate sale is now in the hands of the daughter of the original owner, who was an honored serviceman – thanks to Jim Maimone and an ad in The Messenger.

Jim Maimone of Eighty Four, PA purchased the text along with other items at an estate sale. The text contained information on the original owner, who was a serviceman in the European Theatre of World War II. Jim had an ad placed in the August 2014 issue of The Messenger with the name and service record of the original owner. A friend of Kathy Kelly of Pleasant Hills noticed the ad and told Kathy that the description sounded like Kathy's father. Sure enough – Jim and Kathy got together and Jim returned the book to a descendant of the owner, which was Jim's goal.

Kathy's father, Peter Ranich, Jr., had been a US Army serviceman, serving as a motorcycle messenger/scout attached to a tank company. He served in Normandy, northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes and central Europe. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and five Battle Stars.

After being discharged he worked for a time at the Clairton US Steel works. He later qualified as a police officer and served on the Jefferson H

It isn't clear how the text made its way into the estate sale where Jim Maimone purchased it, but it finally got back to the family. All's well that ends well.

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