- Rex Gruber, 95, is a Korean War Marine veteran who grew up in Union, Nebraska, and was wounded in combat
- Eunji Lee, 14, moved to Omaha because her father is stationed at Offutt and met Gruber there — the two are now best friends
- South Korean photographer Rami Hyun traveled to Omaha to photograph Gruber and preserve his story for future generations
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – A 95-year-old Korean War veteran from Union, Nebraska, received 8 pages of handwritten thank-you letters from students in South Korea — all because of a friendship with a 14-year-old girl whose father is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base.
Rex Gruber, a U.S. Marine veteran, met Eunji Lee at Offutt, where her father, Jinki Lee, serves in the South Korean military. The two quickly became close friends despite an 80-year age gap.
“Rex as my best friend because I have to honor him and it’s my duty and all the Korean people’s duty because he’s our hero,” Eunji said.
After Gruber spoke at StratCom about his service in the Korean War, Eunji recorded it and sent it to her school in South Korea. Her classmates responded with letters filling 8 pages…