Virginia Beach, Va. - Last week, Norwood Thomas sat down at his computer and reconnected with Joyce Durrant, a woman he planned to marry before World War II got in the way. The following Friday, November 13th, he met another woman, who is taking action to get him and Durrant in the same room more than 70-years later.
"We are all veterans and we should help each other out. It's just the way that it is," said Barbara McDonald.
After learning about Thomas and Durrant's love story, McDonald, who served in the Navy for six years, wanted to do something to help.
Virginia Beach veteran reunited with lost love from the other side of the world after 70 years
"Normally you read about this stuff in fictional books you don't ever see this in real life."
McDonald took to the internet and created a GoFundMe page for Thomas and his son, Steven, to travel across the world to Australia so that he and Durrant can see each other in person, instead of through a computer screen.
"To be able to see her after all these years, I am looking forward to that," said Thomas.
Within the first day, the page raised more than $3,000 dollars towards the trip, which McDonald says will cost a total of $20,000.
Thomas says he is thrilled at the idea of seeing Durrant again in person, but admits that he is not comfortable with people spending money on him.
"I don't want anyone to feel that I am asking for a donation to do something for me," Thomas explained.
Though he knows that with every dollar that is raised, he is that much closer to giving Durrant a "squeeze" in person, something he said he wanted to do during their Skype call.
