92-Year-Old WWII Soldier Gets His Missing Duffel Bag Back — 7 Decades Later

[BEAST]

Complete story found at:

http://www.theblaze....-decades-later/

 

 

 

WWII veteran William Kadar with his recovered, seven-decade old military bag (Photo Credit: Stephanie Dowell/Sun-Times Media)

 

 

 

 

92-Year-Old WWII Soldier Gets His Missing Duffel Bag Back — 7 Decades Later

 

 

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (TheBlaze/AP) — A World War II veteran who served in France during the war has been reunited with his Army-issued duffel bag nearly seven decades after it went missing.

To his surprise, 92-year-old William Kadar of Merrillville opened a carefully wrapped package Tuesday to find his drab green duffel bag inside. The folded up bag is still stenciled with his name and serial number.

 

Kadar tells the Post-Tribune he last saw the bag soldiers use for toting their gear in November 1944, a month before he was captured by the Germans. At the time, the now-elderly veteran was held for months, losing 80 pounds and going through what the Post-Tribune called a “harrowing” experience.

 

His granddaughter, Arleen Haas, says a letter in the package says a 16-year-old French boy found the bag in his grandfather’s house, tracked Kadar down and sent it to him. The Post-Tribune has more information about how the bag made its way back to Kadar:Haas said the bag was found and kept by a family in Rehaupal, France until a 16-year-old boy found it in his grandfather’s house. Haas said the boy’s great-great grandparents were killed when their house was bombed by the Germans, so the boy’s grandfather — who was 10 at the time — was scarred by his memories as a civilian in wartime.At first the boy was reluctant to return the bag since it was a symbol of his family’s history

 

 

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[BEAST]

Looked up his POW information and found that he was at Hammelburg at Stalag XIIIC. Bet he was there when TF Baum liberated the Oflag.

 

 

 

 

[Jack's Son]

A very kind act on the part of the boy. I can understand his reluctance, I hope the vet sends it back with his warmest regards!!

[strawberry 9]

I always love reading stories like this.

[trenchbuff]

Looks like the old vets thinking, "what happened to the money that was in it?"