A promise made between two prisoners of war during World War II was honored in Jacksboro on Wednesday, June 10, at 11:00 a.m. at the Jack County Museum.

During their imprisonment in Japan, Corporal Mervyn McCready of Australia and Private Garth Oliver of Jacksboro, Texas, formed a close friendship under brutal conditions. The two soldiers exchanged dog tags and made a promise. If they survived, they would meet again and return the tags to one another.

Both men survived the war, but neither lived long enough to keep that promise in person. Now, more than 80 years later, their families saw it honored.

Captain Aaron McCready, grandson of Corporal Mervyn McCready, traveled from Australia to Jacksboro to return Private Oliver’s dog tags to the Oliver family.

Community members, veterans, military families, and history enthusiasts were in attendance.