After 73 years, a WWII soldier’s gift to mum returns home

This is the story of a loving tribute from a soldier preparing for war to his mother on the other side of the continent, who didn’t know if she would ever see her boy again. The elaborate pillow sham he sent her, lost for more than 70 years, has finally come home, just in time for Mother’s Day. The sham, emblazoned with the word “Mother” and sent in 1942 by Dominic O'Gara from his Army base in California to his mother in the small Massachusetts town of Millville, was discovered last month by a town native on eBay.

To me, it’s come back to where it belongs. It’s as close to Mrs. O'Gara as it can get.

Margaret Carroll, chairwoman of the town Historical Commission.

O'Gara, the son of Irish immigrants, was an artilleryman who served in Italy in World War II, then lived for years in the nearby town of Milford before dying in 1998. His wife died in 1974. Where the pillow sham has been the past 70-plus years is a mystery. The 6-cent airmail stamp on the envelope was canceled, indicating it had been delivered. But the cover appeared pristine. O'Gara’s mother, Catherine, died in 1956.

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