This curious but touching story appeared in the Milwaukee Journal 75 years ago today, Aug. 16, 1943.  Undoubtedly, there’s an interesting backstory. Since no names are given, perhaps we’ll never know.  But somebody probably knows.

Girl, 14, Held on Visit Here

Parents Ask Action

A 14 year old Brooklyn (N.Y.) girl who, unannounced, came to Milwaukee to visit the parents of her soldier boy friend, was taken in hand by detectives shortly after her arrival Sunday. Her parents had notified Milwaukee police of her withdrawal of $900 from the family bank account and the Milwaukee address at which she might be found.

Detectives Le Roy Gittins and Edward Mochalski got to the home of the soldiers’ [sic] parents while the girl was still unpacking.

She told them she met the Milwaukee soldier in New York several weeks ago. She said he promised to take her to meet his parents, but that she had decided she did not want to wait until the war was over to meet them.

Of the $900 she had withdrawn from the bank she had $486 left. The rest had been spent for train fare and a trunk full of new clothes. She is being held at the detention home pending arrival of her parents.

Of course, this article raises a whole flock of unanswered questions.  Did the soldier know how old she was?  What did the soldier’s parents think when she showed up on their Milwaukee doorstep followed closely by the detectives?  What did he think when he heard the story and when she got back to New York?

Shortly after the war, she turned 18. Perhaps they lived happily ever after.   If you happen to have a 89-year-old relative who told the story of her wartime teen journey from Brooklyn to Milwaukee, we’d love to hear from you.

The photos are not actually photos of the couple, but are illustrations of a story in the August 1943 issue of Radio Mirror.