Cool story....
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Cool story about student writing to WW2 Vet | Boards2Go
Grasberger, who lives in Strongsville, Ohio, was drafted into the military when he was 18 and spent nearly three years in Germany. He received Priest's letter, which was part of a class project, while he was on an Honor Flight home from D.C. in 2009. Ever since, the letter has either been folded neatly in his pocket or tucked away beneath the seat of his wheelchair. Wherever Grasberger goes, the letter goes.
The handwritten note, printed on a sheet of lined paper, imparts a simple message of gratitude: "Thank you for saving us from Hitler. If it wasn't for you, we would never have freedom. You made freedom for us. You sacrificed your own life."
Reading the letter for the first time more than a decade ago, Grasberger was moved to tears. "It really tore my heart up when I saw it," he recalled. "I just couldn't believe a child could write a letter about a war." The message, plus the pencil and crayon drawing of an American flag and Army helmet that accompanied it, resonated deeply.
[O]n July 23, Priest showed up at the retirement community dressed in her military uniform with a dozen red roses in hand. Grasberger was told someone was coming to interview him about the letter, but he had no idea Priest had finally been found - or that she was there to meet him in person.
When she walked in the room, Grasberger immediately exclaimed: "You're not the girl?!"
The emotional surprise was captured on video and featured in a now-viral TikTok. When Grasberger finally grasped that he was with the young woman he had long been searching for, he turned to her, grabbed her hand and said: "I love you so much. I really do."
Moments like this and people like these are exactly the things I love about the spirit of this nation embodied in the tremendous love and respect some carry in their hearts. If only more tried to live from love than from hatred ...