<div><p>The second World War was a hugely important event, not just for its enormous influence on history and world politics, but also because of the millions of small, <a href="https://www.shared.com/did-you-know-these-9-celebrities-served-in-world-war-2/">personal stories</a> that were changed dramatically during those few short years. The war shaped the lives of everyone involved, including a pair of young lovebirds in London.</p><p>Norwood Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper stationed in London just before the D-Day invasion when he met 17-year-old Joyce Morris.</p><p>The couple got to know each other and even planned to marry, but then their relationship was cut short.</p><p>"We said goodbye like we were going to meet next weekend and then we never met again," Thomas said.</p><div><figure><a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sad-end-to-epic-love-story-of-us-world-war-ii-veteran-norwood-thomas-and-adelaides-joyce-morris/news-story/dbec2df088f53d454de91d5248906742" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/d500da793bee8ef7f6a33e68c093eba1.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/d500da793bee8ef7f6a33e68c093eba1_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/d500da793bee8ef7f6a33e68c093eba1_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sad-end-to-epic-love-story-of-us-world-war-ii-veteran-norwood-thomas-and-adelaides-joyce-morris/news-story/dbec2df088f53d454de91d5248906742" target="_blank">Adelaide Now</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>Thomas never got over being separated from his "first great love." Over the years, both him and Morris married other people and settled down, but he admits over the years "when people reminisce about what used to be and what might have been, and Joyce would come to mind."</p><p>So when he found her through the Internet in 2015 Thomas was thrilled. The happy couple talked, and when the local news covered their story readers chipped in to send Thomas to Australia, where Morris lived.</p><div><figure><a href="http://pilotonline.com/news/military/veterans/my-first-great-love-after-reuniting-with-wartime-sweetheart-virginia/article_da299ed6-a6e6-5a2f-b5c5-93a496d2c8db.html" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1050px.jpg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1150px.jpg 1150w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1250px.jpg 1250w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1350px.jpg 1350w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1450px.jpg 1450w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/564211fcdd58d-image_GH_content_1550px.jpg 1550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="http://pilotonline.com/news/military/veterans/my-first-great-love-after-reuniting-with-wartime-sweetheart-virginia/article_da299ed6-a6e6-5a2f-b5c5-93a496d2c8db.html" target="_blank">Pilot Online</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>After being separated by the war more than 70 years ago, fate brought these two back together again.</p><p></p><p><strong>Click the next page to see their reunion, and find out what happened next!</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>You would think after so many years apart, Norwood and Joyce's relationship would have changed, but the moment they saw each other it was like they both stepped back in time. Joyce was glad to see that Norwood was "still vertical" and welcomed him with a warm hug.</p><p>The two happily spent their reunion holding hands and sharing stories for an Australian TV program about their lives. </p><p>They reminisced about seeing movies together and the friends they had both known during the war.</p><div><div><div><amp-youtube height="9" width="16" layout="responsive" data-videoid="sGkRl2DdCzw"></amp-youtube></div></div></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>Norwood only had two weeks to spend in Australia before he had to go home, but they made the most of it, and they spoke on the phone multiple times each week once he was back in America.</p><p>When he was asked if Joyce was as beautiful as ever he said yes, but she just called him "a big liar."</p><div><figure><a href="http://pilotonline.com/news/military/veterans/my-first-great-love-after-reuniting-with-wartime-sweetheart-virginia/article_da299ed6-a6e6-5a2f-b5c5-93a496d2c8db.html" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1050px.jpg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1150px.jpg 1150w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1250px.jpg 1250w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1350px.jpg 1350w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1450px.jpg 1450w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1550px.jpg 1550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/58548c38a545c-image_GH_content_1630px.jpg 1630w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="http://pilotonline.com/news/military/veterans/my-first-great-love-after-reuniting-with-wartime-sweetheart-virginia/article_da299ed6-a6e6-5a2f-b5c5-93a496d2c8db.html" target="_blank">Pilot Online</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>Sadly, Joyce passed away just a few months after the reunion trip. </p><p>Norwood says that "it was a blow."</p><p>"For all those years, I never thought I'd see her again. But I did "“ thanks to so many people. It's a great loss I feel now."</p><p>Thankfully they got to see each other one last time before it was too late.</p><p><strong>Share this incredible love story with someone you know!</strong></p><p>[H/T: <a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sad-end-to-epic-love-story-of-us-world-war-ii-veteran-norwood-thomas-and-adelaides-joyce-morris/news-story/dbec2df088f53d454de91d5248906742">Adelaide Now</a>]</p></div>