Two WWII veterans reunite after 70 years

[Piano]

[Max Massey] We haven't seen each other
in 70 years.

I took Joe all over Japan,
because I was in charge of the trucks,

all the jeeps. So, he
latched onto me,

because he wanted
to get around.

He didn't have
any transportation.

- They're here! Hello?

- Welcome!

Hey, Max.

Joe Beale!

Oh, boy.

We never would've
been out of Japan and Okinawa.

You made the prayer
for everybody, and

they got out; you made it.

[Beale] That's wonderful.

You made the prayer for the boys!

You don't remember, but you did.

You prayed for all of the boys.

[Piano, violin]

[Joe Beale] Well, you
look so young today.

[Max Massey] I look so young today.

I am only 94, Joe.

I know. I'm just 91.

92!

I'm still young.

You're 92, Joe.

Joe came down to see me.
[Joe Beale laughs]

There's you. And there's Max.
[Joe Beale laughs]

You're still taller than him!

He was a good looking soldier,
wasn't he.

He always had a good joke to tell.

[Woman] He still does.
He still likes to talk.

[Piano]

Who's this good looking guy?
He's such a good looking --

he looks like a little baby,
looks like a kid, 15 years old.

That's Joe.

[Joe Beale laughs]

[Joe Beale] This is my daddy.

And that's me.

And that's my mama, there.

[Piano]

[Max Massey] Two men
out of 250,

after 70 years,

meeting each other,
in Florida.

[Piano]

Every year, 2, 3, or 4, or 5
guys die,

do you know?

Natural death,
cancer, heart attack,

60, 70 years later,
the guy is in his grave already.

The ones that were alive,
we kept in touch with each other,

because, it was like a gull
flying in the sand,

because there was
no more of us.

[Piano]

[Both men] We fought for each other.

[Max Massey] Whatever life we saved,
it was saving our lives, too.

[Joe Beale] Yeah. 1944, this picture
was taken,

up on the hill
overlooking the air strip

in Mendoro, Phillipine islands,
when we erected a flagpole

for President Roosevelt's death,
and caused a "Fat Cat" B-25

to crash behind the tent.

Memories, memories.

Mother's Day.
The saddest day I can remember.

[Max Massey] It was.
People were crying. Soldiers were crying.

[Joe Beale] Who do you think
they sent down

to find artifacts?

The chaplain and his assistant,
and anybody else who could go.

But, see, the plane was
burning up.

All I found -- I've still got it.

It's a...

[Piano]

[Voice breaking] It's a wedding band.

But it didn't have
any name in it.

So when I got married,
I had a name put in there.

So that they could see
who it belonged to.

[Piano]

[Massey] Two Japanese
went for our ship,

they're up in the air
25,000 feet.

Going down to 10,
going down to 15,

finally they turned the ship down
on a catty-corner,

and they saw our ships,
and they went down.

[Beale] Yep.

[Massey] By the time
they went down,

our ship was
zig-zagging.

Zig-zagging.

By the time
they got to our ship,

they missed,
I'm telling you,

by 15, 20 feet.
Wasn't it, Joe?

[Beale] Yeah, yeah.

[Massey] 15, 20 feet.

[Beale] It was that close.

[Massey] One, then the
other one.

You could see the pilot --
you could talk to the pilot.

[Beale] Yeah, yeah.

You could actually,
finally talk to them.

Couldn't talk Japanese,
but we could've talked to them.

That's how close they were.

[Joe Beale laughs]

[Piano]

[Joe Beale sings] There's
a new name

written down in Glory,

and it's mine.
Oh, yes, it's mine.

And the bright robed
angel tells a story,

a sinner has gone home.

Bo, bo-bo-bo-bo.

[Piano chords]