Story Of Duane Mann, The Man Who Searched For His Korean War Love For 70 Years

War brings absolute destruction and chaos to the lives of people. But once in a while, there are microcosmoses that sprout on the peripheries of these heinous situations. One such story was about the soldier Duane Mann.

Duane Mann Met His First Love During The Korean War In Japan

Duane Mann

Mann was stationed in Japan during the Korean War in 1953. The 22-year-old sailor from Iowa incidentally fell in love with a Japanese local named Peggy Yamaguchi while he was in Tokyo. She was unlike anyone he had met before. ¡°She was such a pretty girl, and so sensitive and kind,¡± reminisced Mann in a conversation with the Washington Post.

The two love-struck strangers quickly carried out a whirlwind romance and became the talk of the town. The pair would dance to Tony Bennett and Elvis Presley songs, and "People would just stand and watch us. Holding her in my arms, I just kept falling deeper and deeper," recalled Mann.

About a year later, the couple¡¯s romance came to an abrupt halt when the US Navy sent Mann back to the States. At the time, 22-year-old Yamaguchi was pregnant with their child. Mann made plans to send for Peggy once he reached home. He had saved up money in case he passed away during the war.

Things Did Not Go As Planned When Mann Returned To The States

Duane Mann

However, his plans fell through after he found out that his father had spent every penny of his savings. "I wanted to marry her," Mann admitted. But the situation halted his grand plans. Mann took a job at a highway construction company to make his money back while keeping in touch with Peggy across oceans.

After a month of correspondence, Peggy suddenly stopped writing letters to Mann. Later, the sailor learned that it was actually his mom who had been burning Peggi¡¯s letters. Soon, they lost all contact, and Mann surfed through life like everyone else.

He married twice, fathered six children, and even started a successful produce business, but Yamaguchi never left his mind.

After Seven Decades, Mann Decided To Continue His Search For Peggy

Facebook

Now, after seven decades of pining, Mann has finally cracked the code. The 92-year-old man finally got in touch with his Korean War love affair after 70 years with the help of kind strangers on Facebook. Mann shot a blank arrow in the dark when he took to Facebook in May 2022. His search picked up after a local news channel showed interest in Mann¡¯s story.

Things started to look up when a young woman from Vancouver caught wind of Mann¡¯s story. Theresa Wong, who works with the History Channel, searched for Peggy and soon got all her details sorted. Peggy, now Yamaguchi Sedenquist, was living in Michigan with her family.

After finding out Peggy¡¯s whereabouts, Mann was adamant about meeting his long-lost love. On June 1, Mann drove up to Michigan from Iowa with his son Brian. The pair hugged the very second they saw each other, and seven decades of longing were suddenly worth it.

They spent hours reminiscing about the past, and Mann found out that Peggy had named her eldest son after Mann. Mike¡¯s middle name was Duane, although Peggy had lost the baby she had with Duane seven decades ago in a miscarriage. Afterwards, Mann told the outlet, "I¡¯m at peace with it now. I would love to dance with her again, just one more time."