There are few things in life like receiving a heartfelt “thank you”. It’s something that can stick with you for a long time. This is something Frank Grasberger understands all too well.
Frank Grasberger, age 95, is a World War II veteran. Twelve years ago, in 2009, he received a letter from Dashauna Priest, who was in third grade at the time, according to CBS News. Since that time, he has carried it with him at all times. “I’d never be without it,” he said. “Because it’s something that somebody thought of me that much.”
Ever since, Frank always wanted to meet the author, but didn’t know how to find her. Fortunately, the staff at the senior home where he lives was able to do just that. Last month Priest, who is now 21, surprised him by meeting him, wearing her National Guard uniform. “You can’t imagine the feeling I had when she stood next to me. It just took my breath away, it really did,” he said.
What started as a simple thank you from a schoolchild, has since turned into an extension of family. “It started with a lot of love and affection,” Grasberger’s wife Delores said, “And it’s ending the same way.”