US WWII veteran reunites with Italians he saved as children 

The amount of stories like this hidden within this period of time is unimaginable. And the sad part is, there are only so many WW2 vets left.

Now he has unfortunately passed away. In Italy we love him. Great memories for this fantastic heroe that came to save us from the darkness

Bruh man really went rrrrrrrrrrrrr… what a legend

My dad was friends with an Italian WWII veteran. He fought the Nazis alongside American troops in the front. He and his wife were nothing but class and he was a very hard working man. He unfortunately was heavily traumatized and would go into this rage and would spend time in his house I guess waiting for it to pass. His wife would tell my mom of his horrible nightmares and how he would start screaming, hiding and throwing stuff in the middle of the night. In his nightmares he was still fighting the Nazis. RIP Pepe, a kind man with all the mental scars of that conflict

Let's not forget the courage of the Momma that placed herself in his line of fire. Even though he was an ally, you never know how a soldier will behave while under the guise of war.

My dear, departed grandfather fought in Europe during WWII, was in the Ardennes and was with one of the first units that went into Germany. What he found there was destroyed cities and starving people. In one of them, he was approached by a nearly dead young boy named Hans. My grandfather got him medical care and made sure that he and his mother got food regularly. For the rest of his life, my grandfather and Hans remained close, Hans never forgot what he had done for him and his mother.

This gentleman is 97? He has a surprisingly clear mind for his age.

I was at work one day, and seen this older man come in with a WW2 veteran hat on, full of pins and ribbons. A few of them stuck out to me as a veteran...his double purple hearts and his airborne wings and the 82nd Airborne patch. I Introduced myself and thanked him for his service...then a bit of chatting. I try to talk as much as I can with anyone from WW2 that's still alive...there's so few left. By the end of that conversation, I shook that man's hand and thanked him again. He was on the beaches of Normandy before any allied forces landed. They parachuted in at night, behind the German lines, as landing scouts for the invasion and calling in fire support to the hilltops. Once the beach was secured and forces pushed in, they linked up with the main force, and pushed in to liberate Europe. That generation of men and women, is truly America's greatest generation and true heroes of the world

My grandfather served in Italy with the British Army....what an amazing story!

All of these US veterans should be respected and given attention instead of celebrities.

THESE soldiers fought for us, not the government, not for corporations, for us!

"THE GREATEST GENERATION" may God Bless you & protect you.

Who saves one life, saves the world

"God looked down on me and God looked down on Italia." ❤

0:26 total bad ass

Italy was a bloodbath in 1944 as the Nazis were very desperate by then and stopped at nothing to hold on (which they lost) At Anzio very few walked away without a scratch in the end (just one example) The picture of him and the kids at 1:00 just tears me up. So beautiful.

that guy is a legend rrrrrrrrrrrrr

My mom was born during the war and food was scares they were hiding in a cave down a ravine she told told me American solders would always bring them food god bless them.Monte Casino

Saved by love and courage it transcends all things ♡

My daddy didn't serve during ww2, he was born in 1933 and he told me stories when he was a kid they heard the news on the radio every day, he was 5 when the war started and he still remembered the fear, that was a deep wound in the world that we should never repeat

Wowza, what a beautiful story! Their mother was so smart and brave at the same time. Glad they all were able to meet again.

Thompson MG always use that in COD - what a legend this man was during all that chaos

Truly one of the greatest generation.

God bless them all :) Gives meaning to "Why We Fight"

My grandfather saved 2 Americans hiding from the Germans for a week or so in Italy. The Americans didn't listen to him (not sure if they understood it was too dangerous to leave) and took off in the wrong direction and about 20 minutes later he heard machine gunning and knew it must have been the Americans getting gunned down. It upset my grandfather a lot. Maybe it wasn't them but who knows to this day. That was during WWII, of course.

I’m from the abruzzo region, my grandmother had my dad and his 2 sisters while my grandfather was fighting. As an American plane was strifing the Germans in our town she ran saved her kids but ran back out to save the horse and caught shrapnel in her thigh, growing up in the 60s I heard a lot of stories. War leaves generational scars.

RIP to a real hero.

Greatest generation that ever walked this earth!

The Greatest Generation.

I'm telling you, every outreach I participate in, spreading the gospel, there is no greater joy than to come across a veteran and just sit down and let them share stories of their experiences in conflict! I have such a deep respect for our military veterans, and it is an honor to know that there are those among us who risked their lives for us! God bless this man, his family, and the lives that he saved! #respect

Ma is the real hero, but bless his soul for liberating them.

great story, well done

Such a beautiful story God Bless 🙏 to all men and women who serve our country

A real soldier.... Hat's off to you! 🙏

God bless you! My dad served in ww2 - USMC.

Bless his heart. What a great story. Thanks to his daughter for finding them. 👍👏🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏

Amazing love from finland!!!! 😍😍❤️😘😘🤗🤗🇫🇮❤️🇮🇹

God bless him

Thank you for your Service Mr.Adler 🇺🇲 🙏 From Canada 🇨🇦

As it always is with these stories the real beauty is in all the lives that wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t held fire. The effects of that act will ripple through time for all eternity.

Wow, man was a REAL HERO! Thanks for your service Sir. John P.

Every WW2 Vet talked with such swagger. "I had my Thompson, brrrrt" LOL these dudes had major guts ofc they did

God bless u for yr kind heart

One of the best news videos I have seen in a long time on RU-vid.

What a beautiful story, private alder is a hero

It's a great story but the title is misleading. He didn't "save" the children. He stopped himself from committing a tragedy.

When you get reminded Soldiers are People Human too❤

ça c'est un beau cadeau. Merci pour tout.

This is so heartwarming. ❤ WWII American vets are/were the best! Missing my grandpa…

My Father was 10th MTN DIV company C 87th and was in the hill towns of Italy and his group took a reunion trip in 1974 and I was with them, and you should have seen how the people of the hill towns welcomed them it was a beautiful site to see.😄

Sometime it's in the darkest of times in which we see the best of humanity

These stories never get old...Hero

He is a legend

Never underestimate the value of choosing not to shoot.

War can be hell but there are moments where the most wholesome side of war well show this was one o those moments

Truly a story of ages. Immaculate.

Wild stuff. Bless these people

This is what life is about! I love it ❤

What an awesome and beautiful story🥰

What a great story.

I mean props to him for not shooting kids but their mother saved them, not him.

In 1975, there was an old man who was a WWI war veteran who lived where I did at The Brand Hotel in Glendale California. He'd always elbow the young men as they tried to share the stairs with him. I was raised better than that, so I always greeted him kindly and gave him plenty of room. The others would scream insults at him and laugh though. One day as I came home from work he had elbowed me out of his way. I had been letting him do it without saying anything, but then I finally screamed, "What's your problem, old man!" at him. His answer was "I was machine gun riddled in World War One, I don't have to take you youngsters crap!" I laughed, thinking he was just another crazy 'liar'. "Yeah, like I'm going to believe that lie, ha!" I had said. It was only then that he tore off his t-shirt and I saw a line of holes going across his whole chest. He turned around and his whole back looked just like uncooked hamburger. I cried right then and there for him and he cried along with me. The other teens came along and I explained what I had seen. Then I told them they'd have me to deal with if I ever caught any of them not showing him proper respect. Soon, they too were calling him "Sir" and making sure he had plenty of room while he used the stairs. That was 48 years ago, a whole lifetime for some humans, and I'll take the memory of that brave war veteran to my grave with me. You can't ALWAYS judge books by their cover.

Beautiful story.

What a wonderful story

My great great Grandfather Served in the SAS for 12 years in WW2

God Bless them all

I have often thought about the stories that no one will ever know about..I feel honored to have known that generation growing up while they were still a big part of society..Now they are few..Whenever I meet a ww2 veteran I cherish the moment..They are indeed the greatest generation..They were selfless , they knew that real sacrifice brought great rewards for all of humankind..They saved the world..If not for them we would all be speaking German today.

Omg making me tear up hardcore, giving me seriously strong ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ vibes. If you’ve never seen that movie I highly recommend it.

True American patriot! Respect 🫡! Thank you sir! 🙏🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🙏

Love these stories. My great grandfather was shot in the legs at the battle of the bulge and he would always say we fight for those who can’t defend themselves. He would always say war is never the way. Rest easy pa they are many who love you.

Such a beautiful thing 😊

It is an amazing story.❤

So heartwarming

REMARKABLE story!! HAPPY “solution”! (A I DON’a want to say “ENDING…”. BLESSINGS to y’all… “THANK you, sir, for your service!” ❤️❤️👍

What god dam story. Beautiful.

Respect u sir.

Bravo on you sir

Miracles never cease

Respect 🇺🇸

They really are the greatest generation, I only wish today's society had the same morals and principles, maybe the country and the world wouldn't be so screwed up.

Bless him

God bless you .

I'm Brazilian. My cousins fought in Italy.

Thank you for checking your fire, Sir!

Got tears

AWSOME!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

That story is incrrrrreeethathathathathathadabl

Beautiful 😊!

"Saved" = Didn't empty his weapon into a pile of blankets without checking what was under them. I'd expect any serviceman to do the same.

incredible.

True heroe.

in my understanding, he saved nothing, he just not murdered those kids.

Okay....so the mom is the actual hero.

My great grandfather served in the American navy and died when my father was 4 and never got the chance to see him

The greatest generation.

We don't make hero's like this anymore.

The news people said it was the GI's "split second decision" but it seems the mother yelling "bambini"s saved her kids from the Rrrrrr gun. Thank you for your service though.

Wow. Just wow.

Tout comme nos soldats en Italie. Une force importante et courageuse. Ne jamais oublier nos soldats canadiens.

Legend