English girl befriended by GI visits family 67 years later

The little gifts an American GI gave an 8-year-old English girl during World War II didn't amount to much - just some candy and a few sticks of chewing gum - but they helped forge a friendship that has lasted a lifetime.

"It was red and it was peppery," the little girl, now 74-year-old Kay Bowyer (nee Jones), said as she described the chewing gum Thursday during a visit with the vet's daughter, who lives in Arnold.

"It was long pieces, and it bit your tongue for just a minute," Bowyer said. "He sent me parcels when he got home, and he always included (some gum) in it."

The soldier,...