The bond between a World War II veteran and his granddaughter

The Sun Sentinel ^ | 11/11/2013

[llevrok]

It came through an online message board from a village in eastern France. Attached was a photo of a standard-issue U.S. Army duffel bag, and the name on it in faded block letters was unmistakable:

WILLIAM A. KADAR.

"I can't believe this," Arleen Haas, 33, recalled thinking as she looked at the photo again and again. Kadar, her grandfather, had fought in eastern France during World War II, winning a Purple Heart and enduring a string of POW camps in the closing months of the war.

Haas has spent much of her life collecting and preserving memories for her grandfather, now 93, who she says has given her so much. She saw the duffel as one more way to help Kadar stop time — if only for a moment. His ability to remember has been fading, much like those block letters.

"This duffel bag might just spark something," she remembers thinking. "It would just blow his mind."

Several years ago, Kadar agreed to talk about the war as part of a documentary project. The former tech sergeant, wisps of white hair showing, seemed to enjoy telling the old stories. But that wasn't always so.

"The whole time we were growing up, we were told he didn't want to talk about it," said Lynn Sattler, Haas' mother and eldest of Kadar's five children.

Still, reminders filled Kadar's basement in Merrillville, Ind., where large and colorful medals covered the walls. There was also a small sheathed sword bearing a swastika squirreled away in a cabinet.

"In fourth or fifth grade, I remember being kind of fascinated that he was in the military," Haas said. "When you're a kid, you see a military medal and you are like, 'That was the coolest thing.'"

[llevrok]

great story. Although makes my eyes sweat a little.....

[Kartographer]

I need to replace my monitor its all blurry.

[blueunicorn6]

Two really good people.