American vet KT Robbins, 97, and Jeannine Pierson, now 92, were reunited in France. Robbins was returning to France for the 75th D-Day anniversary celebrations.
During World War II, KT Robbins, then a young soldier, fell in love with Jeannine Pierson, then 18-years-old, in the northeastern French town of Briey. Robbins met Jeannine when he was looking for somewhere to wash his clothes. That was when he ran into Jeannine's mother. The two dated for about 2 months before Robbins had to move with his infantry to the Eastern Front. Robbins said that he may one day return to marry her, but it didn't work out that way. Pierson even took up English lessons after World War II in case Robbins ever returned. He did, however, keep a picture of Pierson, which he kept away for over half a century.
During the 75-years apart, both Robbins and Pierson had gotten married, had families, and are now both widowed. Robbins eventually met and married his wife, Lillian after the war. The two worked together at a hardware store and had been married for 70 years. She later died in 2015 at the age of 92-years-old. Pierson got married in 1949 and had 5 children.
Journalists where able to track down Pierson at a retirement home in Montigny-lès-Metz, Moselle, which is about a 30-minute drive from where the two originally met.
When Robbins saw Pierson again, he said, 'I always loved you. You never got out of my heart.' Though the two required an interpreter, Pierson told one of the journalists that she understood that Robbins still loved her.
After the meeting, both Robbins and Pierson promised to see each other again.