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Vietnam vet seeking missed connection on Craigslist…40-plus years later

U.S. bomb shells are seen at a mines and bombs museum in Vietnam.  REUTERS/Kham
U.S. bomb shells are seen at a mines and bombs museum in Vietnam. REUTERS/Kham

Can you imagine being impacted by someone so beautiful and amazing to you that 43 years after meeting them for a coffee, you decide to seek them out on Craigslist? That’s exactly what one former Vietnam veteran did recently, posting an incredibly romantic, hopeful and at the same time heartbreaking message in the Missed Connections section of the website.

The posting describes a man at odds with his own existence, submerged in the guilt of knowing he dropped bombs several times on the country’s capital city Hanoi often wondering how many lives his actions had taken while also feeling conflicted about being honoured as a hero for taking those very same actions.

At one point things had gotten so dark for the man that he planned to take his own life using a Smith & Wesson Model 15 as he describes in the posting. Instead he decides to go for a walk and meets the most incredible woman in a teal ball gown with freckled shoulders that he had ever seen. On her way to a New Year’s Eve celebration, she agrees to sit down with the man for a coffee and informs him of her marriage to a man she doesn’t love. After an hour of chatting with her and opening up about his own guilt, the man leaves for the restroom only to return and realize the woman had left without leaving a note or a phone number.

“When I joined you under the balcony, you looked at me with your big green eyes, and I could tell that you'd been crying. I asked if you were okay. You said you'd been better. I asked if you'd like to have a cup of coffee. You said only if I would join you. Before I could smile, you snatched my hand and led me on a dash through Downtown Crossing and into Neisner's.”

Isn’t it incredible how a person can leave such an amazing impact on a fellow human being during a time of need? Even after going off and getting married, giving birth to a son, seeing them both sadly pass away and living out most of his adult years, this veteran’s heartfelt message gives hope to humanity. That sometimes just taking a few minutes to hear someone out can save their life and that real love stories still do exist.

Here’s hoping this story finds its way to the woman in the teal ball gown. Perhaps they’ll reconnect, catch up over coffee, fill each other in on the events of the last 43 years and maybe even spark what could possibly be the most unexpected, amazing, real-life love story of all time.