YouTube, KETV NewsWatch 7The heart wants what it wants. However, there are things that may hinder us from being with someone we love.
Meet Duane
YouTube, KETV NewsWatch 791-year-old Duane Mann is a veteran who got stationed in Japan in 1954 with the Navy.
His Significant Other
YouTube, KETV NewsWatch 7He was 22 years old when he met Peggy Yamaguchi there and formed a special relationship with her.
They Got Separated
PexelsJust a little after Duane and Peggy found out they were going to have a child, the Navy sent Duane back to the US.
His Plan
PexelsDuane planned on coming back to Japan for Peggy after the Koren war, but when he got home, he found out that his father had spent all his savings – leaving him with no budget to fly back to Japan.
Lost Letters
PexelsEventually, the letters from Peggy stopped coming. As it turns out, Duane’s mother was burning them because she didn’t want her son to marry a Japanese girl.
Sad News
PexelsOne last letter did reach Duane. It’s the one that bore the news saying that Peggy lost their baby and she had already married another man.
70 Years Later
YouTube, KETV NewsWatch 7Over the years, Duane didn’t forget about Peggy. He bore the grief of not being able to tell her why he didn’t come back for her. After 70 years, Duane enlisted his son, Brian Mann, to help him look for her.
Finding Peggy
PexelsDuane’s story reached a 23-year-old History Channel researcher named Theresa Wong who tracked Peggy down after finding a 1956 article titled “Tokyo Bride Makes Life in Escanaba,” which led to Brian getting connected with Peggy’s son.
The Big Reunion
YouTube, KETV NewsWatch 7Finally, Duane and Peggy met at a conference room at the Island Resort and Casino in Escanaba. Duane showed Peggy her photos that he kept for 70 years, and finally explained to her why he wasn’t able to come back to Japan for her.
Watch the beautiful reunion of two long-lost hearts in the video below.
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