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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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An army veteran spent 40 years searching for the friend he served alongside, only to get an unexpected surprise after ringing the doorbell of a home in Texas.
Veterans represent a significant proportion of the U.S. population. The Pew Research Center estimates there are more than 18 million living veterans in the U.S., which equates to around 6 percent of the adult population.
These men and women made a valuable sacrifice that the majority of Americans remain thankful for. The same Pew Research Center study found 56 percent have a favorable view of the Department of Veteran Affairs and the work it does in supporting veterans.
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Veterans mean a lot to Americans, but they also mean a lot to one another, as footage shared with Newsweek by security camera firm Ring shows.
It comes from a property in Laredo, Texas, where Arturo, a local resident and veteran, received a visit from an unexpected guest, a fellow veteran by the name of John, sparking a reunion that had been 40 years in the making.
"My folks answered a Ring video doorbell call and it was from a man that has been looking for my dad for the last 40 years since they were both stationed together in the Army in the late '70s," Priscilla, the daughter of the man involved, told Ring.
"His friend had been looking up every person with my dad's name in his travels across the country. My dad wasn't home but the video doorbell did its job."
Arturo and John had served side by side in the same platoon stationed in Germany—C Company, 141st Signal Battalion, 1st Armored Division—from 1976 to 1978.
In those formative years, they weren't just colleagues; they were brothers-in-arms, sharing travels to the Alps, Spain, and countless memories forged in the demanding environment of military life. But like many veterans, they lost touch after leaving the military, with no social media or easy way to reconnect.
Now, in a moment that highlighted the marvel of modern technology, John spoke to Arturo, 40 years on from their last conversation and despite the fact he was not on the property.
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At the start of the video, John can be heard explaining through the doorbell that he is looking for his friend who he served with in the army back in the 1970s.
Suddenly Arturo's voice comes through the doorbell camera, interrupting John's explanation, to say: "I remember you John."
Surprised but delighted, John responds: "Art, is that you?" "Yeah, this is me," Arturo replies, prompting laughter from John and his wife, who is standing just behind him.
After piecing together bits of information online, he and his wife had drove 1,500 miles from Mesa, Arizona, to Laredo, Texas, to check two possible addresses. Now they had found the Arturo they were looking for.
Arturo goes on to explain that he is currently over at his other daughter's home. John offers to take Arturo and his wife to lunch, explaining that he has been looking for him "for a long time" but is flying back to his home in Arizona the next day.
Arturo then passes on his daughter's address, paving the way to an emotional reunion. That reunion was captured on another Ring doorbell device, this time belonging to his daughter. "They were able to meet and catch up after all those years at my sister's house," Priscilla said. "Thankfully her Ring caught their first interaction after 40+ years!"
That first interaction was emotional to say the least, with John and Arturo sharing a handshake that quickly becomes a warm hug. They then introduce one another's wives before heading inside Arturo's daughter's home to continue their happy reunion.
Priscilla chose to share the footage with Ring because she felt it was a much-needed "positive story to break through all of the negativity out there."
Arturo and John spoke for an hour that day, parting with the promise to keep in touch. It should be a lot easier to do now than it was back in the 1970s.
"It was surprising, emotional, and made me anxious in a good way," Arturo said. "Due to this new technology, it was very surprising to see an old friend through a small camera and be able to communicate with him after 43 years. If I did not have the Ring Video Doorbell or the Ring app, I would have missed the opportunity to meet up with my old friend."
Update 5/28/25, 4:56 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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