- Joined
- Jul 18, 1998
- Messages
- 22,331
- Reaction score
- 46,154
Offline
Dashauna Priest still recalls sitting in her third-grade classroom 12 years ago in Lorain, Ohio, writing a heartfelt thank-you letter to a World War II veteran whom she did not know.
At the time, and in the years that followed, she had no idea that the recipient of her letter would carry the note with him everywhere he went, carefully folded in an envelope.
“I’m never without it,” said Frank Grasberger, now 95.
Grasberger, who lives in Strongsville, Ohio, was drafted into the military when he was 18 and spent nearly three years in Germany. He received Priest’s letter, which was part of a class project, while he was on an Honor Flight home from D.C. in 2009.
Ever since, the letter has either been folded neatly in his pocket or tucked away beneath the seat of his wheelchair.
Wherever Grasberger goes, the letter goes.
The handwritten note, printed on a sheet of lined paper, imparts a simple message of gratitude: “Thank you for saving us from Hitler. If it wasn’t for you, we would never have freedom. You made freedom for us. You sacrificed your own life.”
Reading the letter for the first time more than a decade ago, Grasberger was moved to tears….
Grasberger also expressed his unrelenting wish to find the letter writer. Knowing how much it meant to him, Pawloski resolved to track her down.
“I was just so moved that he was holding onto something so small that other people might have crumpled up and thrown away,” she said. “If anybody deserves this little moment, it’s definitely him.”
She surfed on social media, and after a few quick searches, she found a profile on Instagram that seemed like a possible match, given the name and that the person looked to be about 21 years old.
Pawloski was unsure if she had the right woman, but “I decided to give it a shot and send her a private message,” she said. “I hit the nail on the head.”
Priest was stunned to see the message in her inbox. She knew exactly what letter — and veteran — the stranger was referring to.
“I was so excited,” said Priest, who went on to join the Army National Guard.
She, too, had reflected on the letter over the years, and she did, in fact, receive the reply from Grasberger. She keeps his letter safely stowed in a memory box, filled with other sentimental tokens from her childhood.
“I read it from time to time and think about him,” Priest said. “I always wanted to have a conversation with him because of everything he wrote in the letter.”
Pawloski invited Priest, who lives in Sandusky, Ohio, to come surprise Grasberger at his home. She was on board right away……
At the time, and in the years that followed, she had no idea that the recipient of her letter would carry the note with him everywhere he went, carefully folded in an envelope.
“I’m never without it,” said Frank Grasberger, now 95.
Grasberger, who lives in Strongsville, Ohio, was drafted into the military when he was 18 and spent nearly three years in Germany. He received Priest’s letter, which was part of a class project, while he was on an Honor Flight home from D.C. in 2009.
Ever since, the letter has either been folded neatly in his pocket or tucked away beneath the seat of his wheelchair.
Wherever Grasberger goes, the letter goes.
The handwritten note, printed on a sheet of lined paper, imparts a simple message of gratitude: “Thank you for saving us from Hitler. If it wasn’t for you, we would never have freedom. You made freedom for us. You sacrificed your own life.”
Reading the letter for the first time more than a decade ago, Grasberger was moved to tears….
Grasberger also expressed his unrelenting wish to find the letter writer. Knowing how much it meant to him, Pawloski resolved to track her down.
“I was just so moved that he was holding onto something so small that other people might have crumpled up and thrown away,” she said. “If anybody deserves this little moment, it’s definitely him.”
She surfed on social media, and after a few quick searches, she found a profile on Instagram that seemed like a possible match, given the name and that the person looked to be about 21 years old.
Pawloski was unsure if she had the right woman, but “I decided to give it a shot and send her a private message,” she said. “I hit the nail on the head.”
Priest was stunned to see the message in her inbox. She knew exactly what letter — and veteran — the stranger was referring to.
“I was so excited,” said Priest, who went on to join the Army National Guard.
She, too, had reflected on the letter over the years, and she did, in fact, receive the reply from Grasberger. She keeps his letter safely stowed in a memory box, filled with other sentimental tokens from her childhood.
“I read it from time to time and think about him,” Priest said. “I always wanted to have a conversation with him because of everything he wrote in the letter.”
Pawloski invited Priest, who lives in Sandusky, Ohio, to come surprise Grasberger at his home. She was on board right away……