Emotional Moment Soldier Reunites With Kids He Saved During World War II More Than 70 Years Ago

Emotional Moment Soldier Reunites With Kids He Saved During World War II More Than 70 Years Ago

  • Martin Adler never for once thought he would once again see the children he saved during World War II before his daughter, Donley, helped out
  • With the power of social media, Martin's daughter posted the snap of her father and the kids taken during the war
  • When Martin heard that the children have been found, he jumped on a plane and travelled for several hours to meet them

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A 97-year-old World War II veteran, Martin Adler, has reunited with the three kids he rescued in Italy as Germany was losing the war in 1944.

Daily Mail reports that more than 70 years after the war, the man would fondly hold the black and white photo of himself when he was a 20-year-old American soldier as he posed beside the children he saved.

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The reunion was very emotional for all of them.
The man was filled with utmost joy when he saw the kids he rescued. Photo source: Daily Mail
Source: UGC

A reunion turned emotional

On Monday, August 23, the man met the children, who are now in their 80s, for the first time during the war. The reunion was such an emotional one as he kept stretching his hands towards them.

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For the reunion, the war veteran had to travel for a 20-hour journey from his home in Florida to Bologna airport to meet Mafalda, Bruno and Giuliana.

The kids were saved by chance

Recalling how he saved the children, Adler said he was a few seconds away from opening his machine gun on the basket the children were hiding in, thinking it shielded a German soldier, The Denver Channel reports.

When he heard the sound of kids, their mother ran out and stood in front of his gun. The war veteran said the mother was the real hero.

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How they were found

Their reunion was made possible by the power of social media. Donley, his daughter, posted the black and white photo on the internet and was soon spotted by an Italian journalist.

Adler’s daughter said her father still has nightmares about the war even till his old age.

Soldier surprises mom in viral video after being away for a year

Briefly News previously reported that a video has gone viral on the internet in which a mother is seen reuniting with her US Army National Guard Sergeant son, who paid her a surprise visit at her work-place.

The bond shared between a mother and her child is one that isn't easily broken. This explains why Joquina Williams who had not seen her son, US Army National Guard Sgt. Christopher Williams, in almost a year since his deployment to Afghanistan, was so ecstatic when she finally did.

Christopher, 24, showed up at his mother's work-place to pay her a surprise visit and her reaction was priceless. In the video, which has since gone viral, she is seen hugging and plastering his face with kisses amidst tears continuously saying, "My baby is home."

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Kelly Lippke avatar

Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.

Lebogang Mashego avatar

Lebogang Mashego (Current Affairs HOD) Lebogang Mashego runs the Current Affairs desk. She joined the Briefly News team in 2021. She has 6 years of experience in the journalism field. Her journalism career started while studying at Rhodes University, where she worked for the Oppidan Press for 3 years. She worked as a lifestyle writer and editor at W24 and Opera News. She graduated with a BA degree majoring in Journalism and Media Studies in 2017. She's a recipient of the INMA Elevate Scholarship. Email: lebogang.mashego@briefly.co.za