Watch CBS News

It's A Valentine's Day Miracle: US WWII Vet Reunites With Wartime Girlfriend In Australia

SYDNEY (AP) - A World War II veteran has reunited with his wartime girlfriend after more than 70 years apart.

Nine-three-year-old Norwood Thomas flew from Virginia to Australia to meet Joyce Morris, who's now 88.

Morris was a 17-year-old British girl and Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when they first met in London shortly before D-Day. After the war, he returned to the U.S. The two wrote letters to each other, and Thomas asked Morris to come to the U.S. to marry him. But somehow Morris misunderstood and thought he'd found someone else, so she stopped writing.

The two eventually married other people. Thomas' wife died in 2001; Morris divorced her husband after 30 years.

Last year, Morris asked one of her sons to look for Thomas online, and they found his name featured in an article about D-Day that ran in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. They reconnected via Skype.

The two are planning to spend Valentine's Day together.

© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.