After Decades Apart – Two World War II Friends Meet Again

By Kaniehtonkie

Imagine meeting someone who left such an indelible mark on your life that you never, ever forgot them. Years passed, which turned into decades which turned into three-quarters of a century. A lifetime. Even when decades had separated one WWII veteran from another, they never forgot each other. They even tried to meet at various times throughout the years, but it always fell through.

It has been long enough for one World War II veteran to say, "I don't know why I waited so long to contact my friend. It's been almost seventy years since I've seen my friend. Make that closer to seventy-eight years. I always thought about him and wondered if he was ok"

On Monday, WWII veteran Jack Leaf closed the gap between him and his WWII buddy Joe Rafferty. All of this was made possible by today's technology and a couple of close friends at a local cafe.

Valene Gray, owner and operator of Three Feather's Café, met Jack Leaf at her café. Jack would come in and enjoy a cup of coffee and 'Val' struck up an easy friendship with Jack, sharing stories of his life throughout his years and of course his experiences in WWII. Jack began to go into detail about the people he met and the places he's traveled to. Eventually Jack began to talk about his WWII buddy, Joe Rafferty and how they became good friends, and it would be great to see him again.

Valene encouraged Jack to share his stories about his friend and through a bit of searching online, Val found Jack's friend in Pennsylvania. Val knew it wouldn't take much to have the two meet once again. As things go, when the time came, Jack couldn't make the trip so Valene set it up to meet Joe in person at his home and set up a 'zoom meeting'.

With the help of Dwight Bero and Jason Cole, Jack was brought to the American Legion on Saturday to meet Joe at 1pm. Jason took care of the technology while Dwight took care of Jack and set him up to meet his friend from seventy-eight years ago.

Valene and her husband were with Rafferty to help facilitate the zoom meeting between her good friend Jack and Jack's good friend Rafferty.

Valene shared how this all came to be, "I cried a couple times actually. My cafe buddy Jack (My Jack Jack) came to see me at the cafe. I haven't seen him in over a week and a half! I've kept tabs on him because I was worried cause I hadn't heard or seen from him. Well, he got the stomach bug and was out sick. Let's just say that this bug took a toll on him. We talked a lot today and he just told me how sick he was. I've never seen my friend so fragile and weak. He said it took everything for him to come to the cafe today. He said, "my car seems to be farther and farther away" meaning the walks to it are becoming harder and harder."

She added, "Jack is such a great friend to me. He makes me see and understand life in a whole different way. I know Jack is getting older, I learn so much from him on a daily basis. When I found Jack's old army friend who is still surviving, I promised Jack that I would somehow get Jack to see him again.....70 somewhat years later. Well.....this coming July 4th weekend it's happening....I'm not taking no for an answer from him. I'm driving out to Jack's friend in Pennsylvania and facetiming back home so Jack can see him! Although Jacks's not able to travel to see him in person, I'm making sure Jack sees him again in this lifetime!"

At one point, Valene had not heard from Joe and called the local police in Pennsylvania to do a wellness check on him. Grateful to find Joe was fine, they proceeded with their travel plans to bring Jack and Joe together.

Valene said, "Honestly, I was truly happy to give Jack the news that his friend was still alive. Time is so sensitive.....we're doing our best for them to meet."

And she did, on Saturday, July 2, 2022, Jack and Rafferty finally saw each other. They shared stories about love, life, children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. They talked about their health, getting old and being grateful to be alive.

Jack said again, "I don't know why I waited so long, I wish I would have contacted Joe sooner. I can't thank Valene enough. I hope you (Rafferty) comes to visit me someday."

Rafferty toasted to Jack and his upcoming birthday. Over a can of Bud Light and a glass of orange juice, the two exchanged words of thanks and gratitude to have not only have one more day, but to see each other one more time.