Don't worry this has a happy ending. I know the title is alarming, many of us who have served our country know the pain of losing someone and it's never easy. But here is a story that does have a happy ending.

A friend of mine, Peter, who served in the navy relayed this story to me of how he went looking for an old buddy that he knew when he served. They were best of friends. They started out in boot camp together and served on the same ship for years. But, as with many of us, Peter and Ron had lost touch over the years and now Peter was looking to find him and re-establish their friendship.

First he traveled to Ron's home town. Spent a lot of time going through the phone book and calling each person with the same last name. Unfortunately it was a common last name and there were over 5 columns in the local area phone book.

But Peter was determined and soon found someone who knew Ron. He was finally close to finding him. But during the course of the conversation Peter could not believe what he was hearing... "I am sorry to have to tell you this, but Ron died in a car crash two weeks ago".

Peter was devastated and beside himself. Why didn't he try to find Ron earlier? Why did he wait so long? His best friend was now gone and he would never be part of his life again.

OR SO HE THOUGHT!!

It was almost a year later when Peter relayed this story to me about losing his best friend. Although time had passed it was still evident that it bothered him that he did not try to contact Ron earlier, so they could share in each others lives.

As Peter spoke it occurred to me, if Ron's last name was so common would it be possible that there was another Ron? Of course it's possible. Ron is a very common name. So on a lark I went to the Internet and began a search of Government Records. I just thought I would take a chance for Peter's sake.

I put in Ron's first and last name and sure enough, several entries came up as a match. But we needed more information to find out what was going on, so we proceeded to get full reports. The Ron that had passed away in the car crash the previous year was in fact 15 years older than Peter's buddy, there was no way it could have been him. This was confirmed from the Death Certificate that was found in the report.

It was obvious that the person that Peter had spoken to a year earlier was in fact referring to another Ron. NOT his buddy Ron. Peter was not sure how to react. Was his buddy really alive? He had felt so much pain this past year he had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that his friend may in fact still be alive.

Without further delay we investigated the different results that we received and there it was, an entry for a Ron. Birth date matched, description and Yes even a photo. It was Ron, at last Peter may have found him. He immediately got the phone number and ..... wait, that area code, that's right here in town. Peter called the number and within minutes was laughing and crying all at the same time. It was Ron. The amazing part is Ron had moved into a neighboring suburb and was less than 10 miles from Peter's home.

Within the hour the two men met face to face for the first time in many years. I was honored to be a small part of this reunion. To see the joy and happiness of two old buddies reuniting was truly an inspirational experience for me.

There can be great joy when you locate a missing person, someone who was missing from your life. As we get older, we begin to reflect on those that were in our lives and have moved on. If you are so inclined, find them, find them now! Don't waste another minute. Every moment is precious and having these friends back in our lives only enriches us.