For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a black-and-white photo of himself as a young American defense with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed world-regions children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944.
On Monday, the 97-year-old world-war-two” target=”_blank”>World War II<
Adler held out his hand to grasp those of Bruno, Mafalda and Giuliana Naldi for the joyful reunion at Bologna’s airport after a 20-hour journey from us-regions. Then, just as he did as a 20-year-old soldier in their village of Monterenzio, he handed out bars of food” target=”_blank”>American chocolate< of the long-awaited in-person reunion, made possible by the reach of social media.
A 97 year old retired American soldier Martin Adler smiles as he arrives at Bologna’s airport, Italy, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944. The 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time on Monday, eight months after a video reunion.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
It was a happy ending to a story that could easily have been a tragedy.
The very first time the soldier and the children saw each other, in 1944, the three faces peeked out of a huge wicker basket where their mother had hidden them as soldiers approached. Adler thought the house was empty, so he trained his machine gun on the basket when he heard a sound, thinking a world-regions soldier was hiding inside.
“The mother, Mamma, came out and stood right in front of my gun to stop me (from) shooting,’’ Adler recalled. “She put her stomach right against my gun, yelling, ‘Bambinis! Bambinis! Bambinis!’ pounding my chest,” Adler recalled.
A 97 year old retired American soldier Martin Adler’s wife wears a t-shirt with a picture with her husband, Giulio, Mafalda, and Giuliana Naldi taken during a WWII, at Bologna’s airport, Italy, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944. The 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time on Monday, eight months after a video reunion.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
“That was a real hero, the mother, not me. The mother was a real hero. Can you imagine you standing yourself in front of a gun and screaming ‘Children! No!'” he said.
Adler still trembles when he remembers that he was only seconds away from opening fire on the basket. And after all these decades, he still suffers nightmares from the war, said his daughter, Rachelle Donley.
The children, aged 3 to 6 when they met, were a happy memory. His company stayed on in the village for a while and he would come by and play with them.
A 97 year old retired American soldier Martin Adler sits in front of the house where he saved Giulio, Mafalda, and Giuliana Naldi, during WWII, in Monterenzio, near Bologna, Italy, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944. The 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time on Monday, eight months after a video reunion.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Giuliana Naldi, the youngest, is the only one of the three with any recollection of the event. She recalls climbing out of the basket and seeing Adler and another U.S. soldier, who has since died.
US AIRMEN HELP PREGNANT AFGHAN MOTHER DELIVER BABY ABOARD AIR FORCE C-17 EVACUATION FLIGHT
“They were laughing,’’ Naldi, now 80, remembers. “They were happy they didn’t shoot.”
She, on the other hand, didn’t quite comprehend the close call.
A 97 year old retired American soldier Martin Adler holds Giuliana Naldi’s hand that he saved during a WWII, at Bologna’s airport, Italy, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944. The 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time on Monday, eight months after a video reunion.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
“We weren’t afraid for anything,’’ she said.
She also remembers the soldier’s chocolate, which came in a blue-and-white wrapper.
“We ate so much of that chocolate,’’ she laughed.
A 97 year old retired American soldier Martin Adler touches a rock where he was sitting with Giulio, Mafalda, and Giuliana Naldi to take picture after saving them during WWII, in Monterenzio, near Bologna, Italy, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944. The 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time on Monday, eight months after a video reunion.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Donley decided during the infectious-disease to use social media to try to track down the children in the old black-and-white photo, starting with military groups in North America.
Eventually the photo was spotted by Italian journalist Matteo Incerti who had written books on World War II. He was able to track down Adler’s regiment and where it had been stationed from a small detail in another photograph. The smiling photo was then published in a local newspaper, leading to the discovery of the identities of the three children, who by then were grandparents themselves.
They shared a video reunion in December, and waited until the easing of pandemic travel rules made the trans-Atlantic tripa> possible.<
During his stay in Italy, Adler will spend some time in the village where he was stationed, before traveling on to Florence, Naples and Rome, where he hopes to meet Pope Francis.
“My dad really wants to meet the pope,” Donley said. “He wants to share his message of peace and love. My dad is all about peace.”
