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American Morning

WWII Veteran Keeps Decades-Old Promise

Aired August 03, 2001 - 09:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: In our "Across America" segment this morning: a poignant story out of Sacramento, California. Now, this one starts on a battlefield in Europe during World War II, where one soldier made a promise to another.

Reporter Kelly Brothers from affiliate KCRA picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE ECKART, SISTER OF MACK MCCLAIN: Hi, there.

KELLY BROTHERS, KCRA REPORTER (voice-over): It was a meeting filled with emotion and a little bit of humor.

ECKART: Oh, thank you. Are you Harold?

HAROLD HUGGINS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: I'm Harold.

BROTHERS: Grace Eckart and Harold Huggins had never met before.

HUGGINS: I love you. I love you.

ECKART: I love you.

BROTHERS: But they've been looking for one another for 57 years. It was April 1944, World War II and the Battle of Anzio. Grace's brother Mack was killed that day. Harold Huggins was his best buddy and vowed to track down Mack's sister and deliver some precious mementos.

HUGGINS: But he took off his belt and said, "This is the closest part to my body."

I can't forget him. I can't forget him.

ECKART: That was his belt.

BROTHERS: Harold's special delivery gave both of Mack McClain's sisters a chance to sigh "I love you" one more time and relive memories their children may not remember about their Uncle Mack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had green-hazel eyes. BROTHERS: It took Harold nearly six decades to find the family because Mack McClain's Sister Grace remarried and changed her last name. Now thanks to the Internet, e-mail and news coverage, Harold knows five generations of McClains.

ECKART: And my grandkids out there.

HUGGINS: Oh, would Mack be so proud.

(CROSSTALK)

ECKART: One is my great grandchild.

HUGGINS: Oh, my.

BROTHERS: This is a day of smiles and tremendous smiles, but it's also a time of mourning: Mack McClain's loved ones coming face to face with what happened on that Italian battlefield. Harold says he'll give them details if they want them. For now, he is reliving that precious promise one last time, fulfilling his duty -- mission accomplished.

HUGGINS: I love you, Mack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And if you have any stories about your hometown that you would like to see here on CNN, just make sure you send them to us here at "Hometown Headlines" at morning@CNN.com.

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