Bond forged by soldiers in World War II continues today

Families bound by military service

Bonds formed in the midst of a war decades ago has spanned generations, forming connections between people hundred of miles apart who only recently met.

At 27, Charles Hardin was an older solider when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1941 during World War II. W.C. Edwards, a smalltown man from Texas, had one main thing in common with Hardin - neither had been out of their home state before meeting in Fort Riley, Kan., and they were what each considered to be "small town country boys," said Kay Fennewald, Hardin's stepdaughter.

Kay said after Hardin died, many times she would continue her family's tradition of writing to Edwards, sharing news about her daughter, Lindsey, and her plans to join the Air Force, then her work in the Air Force.

In April, the Fennewalds - Leo, Kay and Lindsey - met Edwards and several of his family members for the very first time at a restaurant in Texas.