A Texas man discovered his grandfather's WWII military jacket, which had numerous shrapnel holes.

After beginning his research, a Houston Fire Department paramedic had a stroke of luck and discovered more about his late grandfather's military service.

A Google search about his paternal grandfather, William Watson Holmes, and his service to America, led Mark Holmes of Pearland, Texas, to a physical piece of history.

During World War II, William Watson served as a Marine and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Mark Holmes mentioned that he had always been curious about what his grandpa did during the war. Although he talked to his dad about it a few times, all he knew was that one of the islands his grandpa went to was called Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands. Beyond that, he didn't know anything else, except that his grandpa received a Purple Heart. Unfortunately, Mark's grandfather passed away when he was just three months old.

Mark Holmes stumbled upon a collector's website, U.S. Militaria Forum, and joined. He posted his grandfather's story to connect with others and a collector made an interesting discovery to share.

Austin Wideman, a collector, spent years amassing over 40 named pieces of World War II memorabilia in his Marine collection.

A seller in Gloucester, Virginia sold William Watson Holmes' uniform jacket to Wideman, who then posted photos of it on social media.

The "UNIS" mark on the back of the tattered green jacket reads "322."

My main focus with Marines is identifying UNIS marked items. Marines would put these numbers on equipment to indicate which unit they belonged to. The number 322 tells me that William Holmes was part of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Division. By knowing this, I was able to positively identify the uniform to William Watson Holmes.

The two men, Mark Holmes and Wideman, initially communicated online before eventually meeting in person.

William was injured by a Japanese landmine that exploded and caused shrapnel to hit him in the back. As a result, his jacket has burn holes throughout the back. According to Wideman, William Holmes was flown back to the states for emergency surgery on his spine to remove the shrapnel.

The hospital where William Watson Holmes was sent in Lee Hall, Virginia, was located 30 minutes away from where Wideman bought the uniform.

Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, flew to Missouri to meet with Wideman and view the family's historic piece.

Holmes tried on his grandfather's jacket and it fit him perfectly.

Meeting Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, was an honor for Wideman.

Seeing Randall Holmes touch the jacket that his dad was wounded in was highly rewarding for me as a collector. We spent hours discussing the jacket and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. I'm already eagerly anticipating our next encounter.

The Holmes family shared their personal stories of growing up with Wideman while he recounted the history of the jacket.

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Wideman received additional wartime pieces from the Holmes family to enhance his collection.

The family had a replica of William Watson Holmes' jacket made by Wideman.

My objective has always been to preserve history and ensure that these narratives continue to be passed down. In the event of any unforeseen circumstances, everything, including the jacket, will be returned to the family.