On The Road: The Longest Wait

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2013
  • Tour guides at the American cemetery in Normandy, France, had been telling the story for years: a widow of a World War II airman who, on occasion, still visited her husband's grave. But after weeks of digging through documents and talking with family, Steve Hartman learned Peggy Harris' devotion was only a small part of the story.

ความคิดเห็น • 695

  • @cartoonvandal
    @cartoonvandal 6 ปีที่แล้ว +886

    "How long did you wait?"
    "All my life."
    Someone add this to the definition of 'love' in the dictionary :)

    • @tonkii8410
      @tonkii8410 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Short words at heart :)

    • @suriphornnuphrom6535
      @suriphornnuphrom6535 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Y^Y

    • @Beun007
      @Beun007 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      That got me too!

    • @bertha528
      @bertha528 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Amen 💝

    • @ireen6054
      @ireen6054 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Want an ending for the waiting, longing, get married..marriage is the cure for all passion, infinity of love😒🤐

  • @spi7shin3
    @spi7shin3 7 ปีที่แล้ว +636

    This made me cry! Some ppl live 6 weeks together to realize they wont find someone else... What a lady, what a woman, what a human being!

    • @jamesobrian1643
      @jamesobrian1643 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Sadly, a dying breed

    • @zroxmolejon6278
      @zroxmolejon6278 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@jamesobrian1643 hard to find another lady like her

    • @shariffbrown04
      @shariffbrown04 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      me too...so sad beautiful ❤😭

    • @mariocisneros911
      @mariocisneros911 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      She is special. Sorry god did not give them more together. But her love kept him and their love alive. God bless them

  • @Lawomenshoops
    @Lawomenshoops 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1118

    An elected American official doesn’t give a damn about an American Hero but a wonderful city in France has loved and honored that American Hero for over 60 years!!!

    • @jamesobrian1643
      @jamesobrian1643 5 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      Typical government stooge. If it was election time, maybe he would have made at least a phone call. That's congress for you

    • @tasichannel9475
      @tasichannel9475 5 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      It's all about the gratitude. If your an entitled, pompous person whose never been on the losing side of THAT situation, they feel they don't owe anything.

    • @OHUQTU
      @OHUQTU 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      FAKE NEWS! >>> th-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/w-d-xo.html

    • @jackmars931
      @jackmars931 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I wish there were more follow up videos like this, exposing the lies of the media. This woman has nothing but praise for Thornberry and how much he helped her and how hard he works, etc, while here they portray it as if he did something wrong and let this lady down.

    • @will_9342
      @will_9342 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@OHUQTU Certainly puts new light on the subject. At the end of the original video, we are all saying, I suppose, what an A**H*** that elected official is. Then your video and suddenly the story changes. As she is the one telling her side of the truth, I chose to believe her. Media has so much importance, it shouldn't, specially concerning a story such as this one, be used to pervert the truth. Bless that lady and to that village in France

  • @mkite715
    @mkite715 4 ปีที่แล้ว +102

    Omg her opening line really hit me. “He was married to me all of his life, and I’m going to be married to him for all of my life.”

    • @daphnelattimer9952
      @daphnelattimer9952 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      A beautiful example of true love and steadfast devotion.

  • @MrMrsJr
    @MrMrsJr 9 ปีที่แล้ว +526

    Billie made the best decision in his life when he married her, sadly he didn't live to reap the reward.

    • @RenatusChristoph
      @RenatusChristoph 7 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Maybe so. But what about Peggy? Did she make good decisions by waiting for someone you might expect not to be coming back? Not moving on, but clinging to sorrow and despair a whole life by being married to a dead person. It's really sickening to me.

    • @jeffryblackmon4846
      @jeffryblackmon4846 6 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      She loved her husband so much that she refused to let herself find another man to love. It is very sad.

    • @lemonslimes7885
      @lemonslimes7885 6 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      So many men could wish for a woman as loyal and loving as her. But I am sure he was equally as amazing of a man! What a story!

    • @karendavis140
      @karendavis140 6 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      I'm sorry that you have never known such love. There is no reason to believe that Peggy spent her life clinging to sorrow and despair. She had come to terms with the idea that her husband was most likely dead. She told reporters that her husband loved here til death and she would honor him by doing the same. She gave up searching for him decades ago. It was his cousin who picked up the search again in these last years. Did she want answers? Of course. But that doesn't mean that she didn't pursue a rich and rewarding life on her own.I see her as a strong and faithful woman.

    • @GamerChickZombie
      @GamerChickZombie 6 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Rene Christoph,
      I understand your prospective, but I think that you're mistaking Peggy's devotion for sorrow. My grandmother never remarried nor even dated after my grandfather's passing, but she was not unhappy. She just loved my grandfather. Peggy just loved Billy and I'm sorry that you can't see the beauty in that.

  • @larsenjack2896
    @larsenjack2896 9 ปีที่แล้ว +564

    I am a tour guide on the Normandy landing beaches and I tell this story 5 times a week...I can tell you that Peggy Harris' story is quite an emotional moment of my speech,according to my visitors tears...9387 soldiers buried in this cemetery,9387 stories we could tell in honor of these young men.

    • @billwilson5341
      @billwilson5341 7 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Laurent GOURNAY: THANK YOU for YOUR service!

    • @jeffryblackmon4846
      @jeffryblackmon4846 6 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Thank you for keeping this airman's memory alive.

    • @lemonslimes7885
      @lemonslimes7885 6 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Thank you!

    • @ObamasTheBeast
      @ObamasTheBeast 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Laurent, I live in Les Ventes and I'm American. Billie Harris is a strange thing here. He more or less "fell out of the sky". People here see him as a kind of gift or curse from heaven depending on if one sees it from his or their standpoint. I'm well-informed seeing I've lived in this area for 20 years over a 45 year-period and the respect given to Billie Harris is linked to the Air Force Base "105" which is 15km from here which used to be a US Air Force Base.
      I thought I'd update this info now because people of the village are so interested in this story and being American I wanted to chip in my two cents. This "fallen from heaven" narrative is taking on a whole new form of it's own, in terms of urban legend.
      There's nothing wrong with that because that's how things are remembered. People create things from their ideas about them and their wish to make them live OR NOT. I'm just adding my own pinch of salt to it. I know I'm very late in joining the bandwagon. Peggie was 60 years late. I'm 45 years late. So, you see, there's progress.
      Au fait, je parle français aussi. A plus peut-être. En fait, c'est tout un truc, ici. C'est sympa, je pense. Mon père était GI de l'Armée de L'Air aussi, musicien de fanfare sur une base en Californie, à San Diego.
      J'ai un peu d'expérience de ces sujets donc, de ce fait.
      Thanks for your interest anyways. Goodbye.

    • @darrineichelberger5500
      @darrineichelberger5500 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@ObamasTheBeast
      Just out of curiosity, what point are you trying to drive home? What's the update that you're providing? Who sees him as a curse...neo Nazis? Do you think the village that he spent his last strength steering his crippled fighter away from is trying to make him larger than life? If I were a decedent of people who may have died had he just given up, I'd do anything I could to honor his integrity also.
      I'm probably missing something, but not sure where you were going with what you wrote. Thanks for any clarification!

  • @muncedev11
    @muncedev11 4 ปีที่แล้ว +186

    6 weeks of marriage, 60 years of waiting. This is a love few will likely ever know. In an age of cheap, disposable love, this is a high standard to which to attain. Thank you for sharing this awe inspiring story. I read it through tear-filled eyes.

    • @vjan9003
      @vjan9003 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      This pure love and wonderful loyalty had me in tears

  • @georgejetson3702
    @georgejetson3702 7 ปีที่แล้ว +304

    Six weeks with Peggy would have been worth more than 50 years with any other woman. Saw this four years ago and it still brings tears to my eyes.

    • @gregohare6412
      @gregohare6412 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      George Jetson Just came across this after seeing it when it originally aired and it also brought tears to my eyes. Incredible story about an American hero, his devoted wife and the country that continues to honor him long after his passing.

  • @1966grappler
    @1966grappler 6 ปีที่แล้ว +321

    Wow what a shame. 60 years of not knowing. My mother received a letter from the Army telling her that her husband was killed in action. A couple years later she met my father and had two children. Then her first husband returns and was not killed , but was a pow. He would hang around outside under a street light hoping to see her. My father was also a vet from Darby's Rangers and suffered from ptsd all his life. He passed away at the age of 48. My mothers first husband contacted my mother many years later and they talked several times on the phone until he passed away. I spoke with her a few years before she passed and she was happy she had the chance to talk with him. It must have been quite the burden all those years.

    • @mrjamila88
      @mrjamila88 5 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Omg wow yah that must have been hard and sad for your mom. I wonder how often that has happened to many wife’s thinking their husband died and find out later they alive. 😢

    • @shariffbrown04
      @shariffbrown04 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      wow, that is heartbreaking! he would sit outside! It😭

    • @blackdogslivesmatter1568
      @blackdogslivesmatter1568 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      SO SAD

    • @antonkider7360
      @antonkider7360 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      What a terrible sad story.

    • @chloecusimano3710
      @chloecusimano3710 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      1966grappler wowwww that’s CRAZYYYY that sounds like a movie!! This was ww2? Did she decide to go back to him!? What do you do in a situation like that when you’re first love you think was killed in war and you move on have a family then to find out he is alive and wants to reconnect with you that is an amazing & sad story

  • @michelleherrera7725
    @michelleherrera7725 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Peggy passed away on April 14th, 2020 at the age of 95. She's with her beloved Billie now ❤️.

  • @tonkii8410
    @tonkii8410 5 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    "How long did you wait ?"
    "All my life "
    Short words at heart :)♡

  • @hearttoheart4me
    @hearttoheart4me ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Thornberry sounds like every other politicians out there. They just don't care about their constituents till they have been publicly called out. His response is a standard apology that all of them issue.
    That being said RIP Billie Harris and thank you for your service and the love you had shown your beautiful bride who has been a pillar of strength and devotion. God bless both of them. Thank you Steve Hartman for the telling of a story that none of us would have never known. Thank you to all the people of the small village for honoring them both.

  • @AuthorLHollingsworth
    @AuthorLHollingsworth 5 ปีที่แล้ว +140

    Mac Thornberry should apologize to this beautiful lady. This mystery could have been solved ages, ago. God, bless the wife, cousin, and people of Normandy, France. Thanks, for this story!

    • @terrimead1003
      @terrimead1003 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Have they run him outta town yet? What a coward...maybe he shoulda fell in Normandy.

    • @kathleenclark815
      @kathleenclark815 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Except its not true..
      th-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/w-d-xo.html

    • @susanalexander6721
      @susanalexander6721 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He should apologize in person.

    • @MariaHernandez-jd2bi
      @MariaHernandez-jd2bi ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I believe he should have been let go of his position. How can he serve the people, when he couldn't or wouldn't look into this matter regarding a soldier missing and his widow searching for tge truth. I hope the government gave her all his benefits.

    • @christinanielsen1917
      @christinanielsen1917 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Unfortunately thornberrys ineptitude is standard procedure. No one cares about an elderly woman until a story like this comes out and embarrassed him. An apology from a politician isn't worth much. A SIMPLE search on the internet could've been done by his staffers but she wasn't worth it. There are thousands of experiences like this that we will never know about. Shameful!

  • @Reese_Calloway
    @Reese_Calloway 10 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    I can only imagine why the congressman didn't want to talk with them. Such loyalty is admirable and she is a wonderful woman. Congressman Thornberry should be ashamed of himself.

    • @alfandeddie
      @alfandeddie 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Weasel

    • @dugroz
      @dugroz 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm guessing he handed it over to a staff member to handle, and someone was careless in looking up the info. I'm glad he (eventually) apologized.

    • @OHUQTU
      @OHUQTU 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/w-d-xo.html

    • @OHUQTU
      @OHUQTU 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@dugroz th-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/w-d-xo.html

    • @jackmars931
      @jackmars931 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Adam Fears Because all it is is this lady bashing the news for using her to attack Thornberry. It's pretty obvious how this version of things is manipulated to make the congressman look bad. The only Fake News here is the version where Thornberry did something wrong.

  • @ashtonharrelson7029
    @ashtonharrelson7029 5 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    I got to meet Peggy last weekend and she was wonderful! This is such an incredible and heartbreaking story 💕

    • @shariffbrown04
      @shariffbrown04 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      wow! thank you for sharing...many blessings to you.. how humbly it must have been to meet peggy!

    • @misplacedsouthern1236
      @misplacedsouthern1236 21 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I’m so sorry a thoughtless, self absorbed politician was too busy to ask someone to check for him. Clearly, he was much too important & busy to check himself but he surely could’ve asked someone to check for him. Then, to give her that half apology! She deserved so much more. Her husband deserved more from his Countryvabd those that represent that Cpuntry. He never was brought home. At least, His would die could’ve been told the truth. He gave everything & it still wasn’t enough. I’m so sorry. Ms Peggy deserved so much better.

  • @sephy3085
    @sephy3085 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    What a faithful woman she is for being loyal to her husband for so long even though she never knew his fate to her satisfaction.

  • @elizabethchurch9720
    @elizabethchurch9720 6 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    "You have to learn to be forgiving." Thank God she found him.

  • @thedarci1368
    @thedarci1368 7 ปีที่แล้ว +114

    No wonder Thornberry did not wish to talk to you. He should be ashamed to show his face anywhere after that. That is horrid. She is more merciful and forgiving than I think I could be...... She is such a beautiful awesome person.....

    • @kathleenclark815
      @kathleenclark815 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/w-d-xo.html

    • @bodhief
      @bodhief 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@kathleenclark815 That story ran 1 year after this CBS published this story .... do you think Thornberry would have run that story if not for the CBS story? C'mon.

    • @kathleenclark815
      @kathleenclark815 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@bodhief This comment was a year ago dude. I don't care ...c'mon 🙄

  • @kay-vo6cs
    @kay-vo6cs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    She just passed away a couple of months ago. I live in Altus, OK where Peggy and her father in-law worked on the base here. It's a precious story.

    • @muzicaempathica6479
      @muzicaempathica6479 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      🥀🖤💔🖤🥀❤💓❤🥀🖤💔🖤🥀

  • @EMBEEAY
    @EMBEEAY 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    0:38 she is one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Her heart is just as beautiful.

  • @ciyean
    @ciyean 9 ปีที่แล้ว +182

    Why is it so hard to find this type of love these days. It's bullshit.

  • @AnnieBuck
    @AnnieBuck 9 ปีที่แล้ว +122

    What an incredible story. What a beautiful tribute from the people of Les Avants. Mac Thornberry should be ashamed of himself.

  • @aimeguthleben
    @aimeguthleben 7 ปีที่แล้ว +108

    There are some days, we went to look and pray at the tomb of the aviator Billie D. Harris. There is no greater sacrifice that one can do than give his life for his neighbor. For him it was the choice of not crashing more about a village in France after his plane was hit and chose to crash in a forest near sparing the villagers. He thus left behind his young wife who Attenda for years.
    We wish, my wife and me to introduce you to Mrs. Harris, family and friends our deepest thoughts. He rests in peace next to his companions of the conflict to the American cemetery Collevile-sur-Mer.
    Our sincere thoughts Family GUTHLEBEN

    • @billwilson5341
      @billwilson5341 7 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Aimé GUTHLEBEN: THANK YOU for posting this! You are a kind soul! God bless you and yours!

    • @jspprn7767
      @jspprn7767 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Wow. Thank you.

    • @shariffbrown04
      @shariffbrown04 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      so beautiful! thank you!

    • @jazura2
      @jazura2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What a wonderful and inspiring story. Truly incroyable. Merci

  • @antonkider7360
    @antonkider7360 4 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    French civilians taking care during sixty years of a forgotten American aviator.

  • @KateMRobb
    @KateMRobb 6 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    Some people wonder if Peggy made a good decision "Not to re-marry" you need to remember that tho "thru the yrs" she eventually came to the descision that he was most likely killed in the war, she wanted answers, needed those answers, & as his wife (widow) she deserved those answers. As ALL military wifes do, current & past. Did Peggy make a good decision to Not re-marry ? I believe she did yes but then its NOT up to me in anyway. it is her choice as his wife, only hers ! as part of the greatest generation who saved this country & others from the Nazi's, She & her husband, Billy deserve our highest respect & graditude for keeping this country free when it could of been lost !
    She lived up to her vows, not just the words but to the spirit of their vows. & as far as Billy Not reaping any rewards for marring Peggy, "He did", she was a loyal wife ALL of her life. & that's saying something, wives to be now days can't even make it to the church/vows without having cheated. WE (people in general) don't have or aren't raised with the value's that were found in those days, along with having a religious or spiritual foundation to draw help from. that's my 4 cents !

  • @pressplay1072
    @pressplay1072 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Bless her heart devotion sometimes can be a hard thing in the long wait can never see your spouse again except on the other side

  • @mandojoaquin1953
    @mandojoaquin1953 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Very touching, very few American woman who wait their husband to long, and stay faithful to him, I'm from the, Philippines. I salute all the soldier veterans of ww2.

  • @pugilemoltobene3708
    @pugilemoltobene3708 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I’m an SF vet of 3 tours(OIFx2 and OEF), retiring after I was hit on my last tour. It is everyone’s greatest fear to be forgotten completely, whether alive or dead. The deceased I served with will not be forgotten. This man was also a superhero. Honor their memory, people. They gave everything, dammit. This breaks me up, it should for you, too. God Bless our vets and those we’ve lost.

    • @muzicaempathica6479
      @muzicaempathica6479 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ⚘Love~Honour~Respect~Peace⚘
      I appreciate your heart, service, and dedication. Thank you for all you have done in the name of Freedom☆¤☆
      May the LORD bless you; especially with Comfort and Peace⚘

  • @Caitja
    @Caitja ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is so loving a memory of a woman that loved for 60 plus years.

  • @pjlewisful
    @pjlewisful 10 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    Tears as I'm writing to say how beautifully moving this story was to me.

  • @j2times2006
    @j2times2006 9 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    That's some serious dedication.

  • @thejohnmichaelsgroup4987
    @thejohnmichaelsgroup4987 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Steve Hartman does a great job!

  • @firesong83
    @firesong83 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    This is how all heroes should be honored. I want you to know how much this moved me.

  • @mikelass6034
    @mikelass6034 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Cried like a baby. Such a good story

  • @xlprincess123567
    @xlprincess123567 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    My step grandfather went missing too. My grandmother did remarry but always knew he was out there. People said he crashed into the Pacific Ocean, then people said he was kidnapped, then others said he was alive. He was never found. But we are having a memorial service this summer. Before my step grandfather went missing my grandmother just had a baby girl at least she had a little bit of him. My grandmother would go on and have two more kids with her second husband. But I will never forget my first grandfather I never got to meet.

  • @bluepointblues5438
    @bluepointblues5438 5 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    This is how you define a true love. May God bless her beautiful soul and R.I.P Billie.
    Someday, you two will be reunited....up above in heaven.

  • @sofiagallegos9038
    @sofiagallegos9038 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    when I went to visit the American cemetery in Normandy my tour guide told us about her

  • @stryker1026
    @stryker1026 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I dont know how I ended up here...thank you TH-cam algorithms. I'm crying at work and proud that this woman was able to visit and know in her heart what happened to her husband. God Bless her and God Bless the USofA for helping to liberate Europe and rid the world of the evil that was Nazis and fascists. Never forget!!!

  • @charlinsamson1943
    @charlinsamson1943 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I never cried so hard in my life.

  • @sukhmaidickoff
    @sukhmaidickoff 8 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    Very touching story. Normally I´m not the kinda guy who gets watery eyes very easily, but this videoclip did the job quite well. It must have been terrible for Peggy to get all those conflicting messages back in the days - first getting told he was dead then getting told he was alive and would be going home and then again told he was dead. And then waiting for 6 decades phewwww...I don´t think many people would be able to cope with that. However I do understand why Billy fell for her back then. Peggy was (and of course still is) a very beautiful woman :-)

    • @sukhmaidickoff
      @sukhmaidickoff 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +Matta Fochar ...and PS: I know that Congressman Thornberry did a sloppy job not investigating thoroughly enough. But instead of spamming this comment-section with your hate towards Mr. Thornberry - maybe you should blame the people who gave her wrong information from 1944 until 2005 instead. And focus on the good side of the story - that finally Peggy got a bit more of peace on her mind about what happened to her husband back in 1944.

    • @iriscollins7583
      @iriscollins7583 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@sukhmaidickoff As one of her political representatives he should have looked into this with a lot more effiency than he did,it would have saved this lady years of not knowing.

  • @blakehaun972
    @blakehaun972 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thank you to all families that had a member serve and give their lives for others.

  • @debbiebrooks3473
    @debbiebrooks3473 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you so much for finishing this story. A foreign country treated an American soldier with the memory that he deserved. Our country should have done the same. 🇺🇸

    • @exdus235
      @exdus235 ปีที่แล้ว

      👍👍👍

  • @toodie535
    @toodie535 8 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    My grandfather was buried in a small village in France in 1917. I wonder if his remains were transferred somewhere. He fought for the British Army, in the calvary, caring for horses that pulled the cannon caissons.

    • @jnieurzyla
      @jnieurzyla 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Check the commonwealth graves commission, they will advise you of his burielplace.

    • @toodie535
      @toodie535 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      thanks, I tried searching for Augustus Harriss, Pvt, British forces (cavalry) from London England, sometime in spring 1917. "Zero results"

    • @jnieurzyla
      @jnieurzyla 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Sue does his regiment have a museum? could try their, or the war museum?

    • @toodie535
      @toodie535 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      thanks John, but I have no idea,, just know he loved horses so they put him in the Calvary. No idea why his name doesn't come up. Not sure what town he was born in, Grandma came from Hastings and they moved to London to open a butcher shop in the early teens.

    • @pamelaspooner8335
      @pamelaspooner8335 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      You may have been too specific with your search terms - often searching with less words is more fruitful. Please go to your local public library and they can give you some tips on finding foundation information that you need in order to find his service record, etc. for instance finding him in the 1901 census would give you place of birth. (Hope this helps- from a retired librarian).

  • @user-vm5ud4xw6n
    @user-vm5ud4xw6n 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    This man should have been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor!! Conspicuous valor and service above and beyond the call of duty! I’d say saving a town met both those criteria. His old company may not be around anymore but those that aren’t become other companies and whoever is in charge should be reached and told the story so Billie’s sacrifice is known and remembered on this side of the pond. He was a hero. And his actions deserve to be rewarded!

    • @killermogle
      @killermogle ปีที่แล้ว

      He crashed in the woods.
      Might as well give everyone a medal of honor in that case.

    • @ricpr
      @ricpr 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@killermogle yep, and that medal has been awarded to plenty who did exactly what Harris did, sacrificing themselves so that others could live. Just how many stories out of WWII include an entire town that are so appreciative decades later of such a sacrifice? There might be merit to looking into the action. He was awarded a DFC for his actions, but it might be worth a look to see if that could be upgraded and presented to a family member in France. Thornberry had no clue that he missed such a huge political gold mine.

  • @VintageVinny
    @VintageVinny 6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    How does one dislike this story? It's so moving and amazing.

    • @8317dh
      @8317dh 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      At least the like votes are over 98% of the total: 1009 to 16 as of March 17, 2018

  • @thickqueen4207
    @thickqueen4207 9 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    This video left me dripping with tears :(

  • @jebbie2595
    @jebbie2595 5 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    Seeing her standing at her husband's grave.. ?...
    ***tears*** Hearing his name spoken during the ceremony... ?... double ***tears*** Mac Thornberry should
    be ashamed of himself. Disgustingly immoral behavior.

  • @balancedactguy
    @balancedactguy ปีที่แล้ว +4

    So sad she had to go through that when all he time the answer to her question about the fate of her husband was so readily available.😢 Bless the French townspeople for their gratitude too!💖

  • @jusnuts1443
    @jusnuts1443 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I am not afraid to tell this, I cried. That story touched me. God bless you, Peggy!! She's my hero! So is Billie! My fellow vet.

  • @cherita56
    @cherita56 10 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    What an amazing story and an amazing lady.

  • @loveaodai100
    @loveaodai100 7 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    WoW! Wonderful people in this story with the exception of that congressman..

  • @toddstein5407
    @toddstein5407 7 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The true definition of "Bittersweet" RIP, Billie

  • @dguri
    @dguri 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I will watch this a million times and each time I see her break down in tears so do I! what a wonderful woman!

  • @misplacedsouthern1236
    @misplacedsouthern1236 21 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I’m so pleased this story found its way onto our television. This is indeed the longest wait for a Hero returning to those who love him, his wife Peggy and to his grateful Nation, the United States and of course, the beautiful people who cared for and buried him in France. Thank you & May God Bless Each One of You. And, To the Beautiful Peggy, my deepest sympathy. He’s a Hero. You’ll see him again. 🙏✝🇺🇸🇫🇷

  • @abdihassan7208
    @abdihassan7208 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This video was tear inducing and very poignant. The unadulterated love she has for him is beautiful!

  • @jillvidal6506
    @jillvidal6506 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Amazing story. Thank you Steve Hartman. Billie Harris God Bless Rest In Peace. A lifetime of waiting with an unexpected blessing, her husband loved and honor by the French people who saw him die.

  • @asifmahmood4359
    @asifmahmood4359 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Her sober personality reflects her sincerity, you can trust such people blindly. True love kept her and will keep her strong and going. My God what a lady.

  • @pouriashahbazi
    @pouriashahbazi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    she's an angel

  • @jackalbark7593
    @jackalbark7593 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Quality of a pure heart and love..

  • @freeonlineselfdefenselesso8445
    @freeonlineselfdefenselesso8445 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is a definition of what true love is.

  • @72mossy
    @72mossy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Now that's love. I go to France every year with my family to holiday in Normandy. We go camping with our 3 kids. We travel from Ireland. I've an interest in Dday so I visit all the sites. Definitely will visit Billies grave, the next time I'm there.

  • @nancyhilliard1634
    @nancyhilliard1634 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    😭💕💞💜❤️what a beautiful love story 🌺

  • @alphaomg4626
    @alphaomg4626 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A very faithful wife, an unforgettable story.

  • @rebeccathumper9128
    @rebeccathumper9128 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Crying like a Baby 😥😥😥So few will ever know love This True I've Never even come Close and I could only dream..😇😇😇💙💙

  • @minecrafter459
    @minecrafter459 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Beautiful lady. Inside and out. So sorry my dear for all you went through

  • @DarkVoidDan
    @DarkVoidDan 9 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Wow them onions are ripe this year blimey.

  • @lemonslimes7885
    @lemonslimes7885 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Shocking, amazing, beautiful!

    • @Beun007
      @Beun007 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      In the same time...

  • @junsison3648
    @junsison3648 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This woman is one of a kind in this era. She is truly amazing that her loyalty and fidelity to her husband will end only till her lifetime ends. True love will never, never, never die and fade, but stays forever within her heart. 1st Lt. Billie Harris had truly found a paragon wife whose traits are amiable, affectionate and many more good adjectives to describe her.

  • @ayeshaabdulghaffar7308
    @ayeshaabdulghaffar7308 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was really cutting onions while watching this.... It was a really strong one 😭

  • @kolent5292
    @kolent5292 8 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    she have the GOLD HEART

  • @rabirai3280
    @rabirai3280 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I am a Nepali citizen from Asia and can't understand English . I just know very few words only so I am completely unable to communicate my feelings and respect to the lady who sacrificed not only her dreams but entire life for her long lost husband.
    I do salute to this great lady. The God may bless you.And also want to thank for those who brought it to us.

  • @francispua9803
    @francispua9803 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    So Billie Harris got buried in Normandy France? Wow. So touching. Thank you for sharing.

  • @angieruggles962
    @angieruggles962 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My grandpa was on the beach that day in Nornandy. 255 in his troop and only 4 survived. He was one of them. He lived to be 90.

  • @Meme-mq4nu
    @Meme-mq4nu 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was at American Cemetery in Normandy three weeks ago and paid our respect to Mr. Harris’ grave. His grave was well visited by many tour groups whom their guides told them about their extraordinary story. I’m so glad I made it to pay respect to him.

  • @iamredknot
    @iamredknot 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I'm gonna write some thing:
    I really felt my heart break.
    "Love' these days is treated like dust. Swept away into the dustbin.
    I gave up on love after a female turned my life into a playground. Jump in, create chaos, leave, return, create chaos leave...repeat.
    Then came a failed marriage. Girl with extreme temper issues, and thyroid problems. Ongoing divorce.
    People do not understand love and know what it means.
    It's really great that this lady remained waiting for her man to return all those years. Only to know that he was KIA.
    It must have been really hard to take in.

    • @ATR-mt5rz
      @ATR-mt5rz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      red knight ah damn, sounds like you’ve been through a lot too! Thanks for sharing your message 🙌🏽

  • @MaxHohenstaufen
    @MaxHohenstaufen 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Dude, all romcoms hold no candle to this story. That was touching AF. I almost cried.

  • @timeandtimeagain4391
    @timeandtimeagain4391 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Shes still one beautiful lady still from the 1900s and is still talking and walking perfectly fine!❤ 🇺🇸

  • @ratgoon4584
    @ratgoon4584 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    THIS IS A PRECIOUS STORY. ULTRA SAD BUT ALSO ULTRA SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTING.

  • @mariegriffin8515
    @mariegriffin8515 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How can you not love all Veterans & their families!

  • @mikespano1
    @mikespano1 10 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    If all people were like the ones in that small town...

    • @lemonslimes7885
      @lemonslimes7885 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It does make me feel good that the people of France are so grateful for the sacrifices of the Americans. I know an immigrant here in America from France and on this last D-day in 2017 he publicly made a video to thank the Americans for saving them from the Germans.

  • @richarddelgado8530
    @richarddelgado8530 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What a Love Story without equal. Young people could learn from such love. Wow!

  • @ardendorney9991
    @ardendorney9991 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wonderful lady, wonderful story.

  • @kolent5292
    @kolent5292 8 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    i cry for the Peggy Harris when she went to French again

  • @dindunnajm577
    @dindunnajm577 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    MR BILLY WAS VERRY HANDSOME, HIS SMILE, HIS EYES. MRS HARRIS DISERVE TO HAVE HIS LOVE. HE IS THE HERO.

  • @islandsunset5978
    @islandsunset5978 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    #HERO who showed a lifetime of Love in one action, still felt so strongly till this day. #Love conquers all in the name of Christ Jesus amen.

  • @shirleylake7738
    @shirleylake7738 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    So happy she is now able to know where he is and what happened to him.

  • @jantruitt9241
    @jantruitt9241 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank You Steve
    For telling us this beautiful story!
    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

  • @mysam4504
    @mysam4504 ปีที่แล้ว

    This news segment has stayed with me, in my heart, my mind, and my soul, since I first saw it when it aired. I have a feeling it will continue to remain with me. ❤

  • @dshep7850
    @dshep7850 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A very touching story. Thank you so much.

  • @malikl3643
    @malikl3643 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    She held on to her pain for so long.

  • @elamorissey4000
    @elamorissey4000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Aww God Bless I couldn’t hold my tears for this lady oh my goodness my heart goes out to her especially when she cried I just would have loved to be there to hug her oh God Bless Her that was a very touching heartfelt Story 🙏🏻❤️

  • @estongbigboy6702
    @estongbigboy6702 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This breaks my heart in pieces.. But a very loyal wife.. I admired this woman

  • @s.r.v154
    @s.r.v154 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It has been 7 years passed now. Since I haven't seen my crush. But it feels like it was yesterday when I saw her first time. It was Sunday afternoon the moment I saw her..... My heart rate rapidly increased. My friends thought I got a problem with breathing. But only I know what was that..... It was love at first sight..... I didn't tell her about my feelings..... Because I think that she deserves better than me.....she was one year senior to me... I didn't have the confidence to tell her.....I just wanted to see her happy..... I think I stuck on her...... And now it has been 7 years passed..... I haven't dated any other girl..... Because when I think about a date with another girl..... Suddenly her face comes in my mind..... No other girl can replace her in my life..... Now I am 27 years old..... Don't know what I am doing with my life..... Maybe this life for her.....

  • @sherwah4126
    @sherwah4126 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    She is so honest to her beloved husband May God bless you.

  • @tysie1186
    @tysie1186 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Mr.Harris for your service.

  • @kaea.3479
    @kaea.3479 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Noooooo, my heart shattered.

  • @user-nc2bf9vx5y
    @user-nc2bf9vx5y 22 วันที่ผ่านมา

    To the lady mayor,you rock. And to the brave fighter pilot,you sir saved many lives.

  • @CarolinaTerzi
    @CarolinaTerzi 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I really love Steve Hartman. He gives us the most incredible stories

  • @Happybidr
    @Happybidr 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank goodness for the. People of Les Vantes, France, and for Billie and Peggy Harris and their service to the country.

  • @kathleenwharton2139
    @kathleenwharton2139 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What a Strong..Faithful Lady! Wars are so Terrible. 😊❤