After Almost 70 Years, a Widow Uncovered Her Husband’s Strange Disappearance

Peggy Harris’ husband disappeared mysteriously. It was said that he died in the war but Harris was determined to get to the bottom of what really happened to the love of her life. It took almost seven decades after she married her husband to unravel the truth behind his disappearance. Read on to see if Peggy did indeed find out where her husband went. 

While many would consider this mysterious absence a deal-breaker, Peggy felt it in her bones that something wasn’t right. She would stop at nothing to discover the truth of her husband’s disappearance and why it happened.

Peggy got as much information as she could over the years. She pieced together from different sources what happened to Billie to the best of her ability. It became apparent that the task of finding Billie would not be simple and straightforward. Any and all bits of evidence she could use to give her a clue as to where he might have vanished. Peggy wouldn’t give up when things got tough. 

Peggy’s valiant determination served as a powerful example for thousands of people to deal with what life throws at them. Peggy wouldn’t give up on love and she wouldn’t give up on Billie. People were inspired to not let the harshness of life get the best of them. Peggy taught them that they can prevail, as true love does. 

At first glance, Billie’s father knew that his son would be fond of Peggy right away. She was beautiful, talented, and kind, and had that special something most girls didn’t possess.

In the early 1900s, women were commonly relegated to staying at home. Peggy, however, wanted to do something different and more fulfilling, while remaining true to her dreams. She was one of those rare cases of people who knew exactly what they wanted from life. 

Her real goal in life was to serve her country as best as she could. Solving complex mechanical problems made her feel satisfied, as well knowing that she was doing important work. 

Today, it may seem strange to receive letters from a person you haven’t met before. Considering there was no online communication, the only way to get to know somebody who lived far away  was through letter writing. Imagine that!

Despite what his dad wanted, Peggy didn’t feel comfortable continuing to write Billie letters. So, she conveyed to his father that she doesn’t write to men she hasn’t met in real life.

In a short period of time, Peggy began receiving letters from Billie. She even communicated that she was a little scared of him initially because she hadn’t even met him before. However, everything changed when Billie went on leave and went to meet Peggy for the first time. Upon that meeting, their fate was sealed. 

Through their correspondence, it was only a matter of time before they became really good friends and created a beautiful friendship. Every new letter that arrived sparked new feelings that continued to grow. Peggy noticed that Billie’s letters became more flirtatious, which led to their courting. 

Determined, their love would shine through any obstacle, especially when Billie vanished all of a sudden. How would Peggy go on without her beloved husband and best friend by her side? 

Billie had no problems with that because all that mattered was having Peggy in his life. Naturally, it all would fall into place despite the tough times. With an uncertain future ahead, the only thing that would remain was their undevoted love and devotion to each other. Persistence was key. 

Weighing their options, it was decided that Billie would be the breadwinner and Peggy would stay at home. She would be the primary person at home taking care of the kids whenever they were ready to start that next chapter of their lives.

Billie had just graduated piloting school and finished the U.S. Army Air Corps training in San Antonio. These incredible accomplishments were followed by the fateful letter that Billie received: his time was due to serve his country.

They were hit harshly by reality and were dealt a big blow to their future plans. The family they had dreamt about having together would have to be put on the back burner. Clearly, they both had important duties to uphold and a commitment to their country, but that wouldn’t prevent them from trying their best to stay strong. 

Neither one of them knew if they would see each other ever again, or if Billie would make it back home safely. Remaining hopeful, they shared their goodbyes.  

Billie felt that his day was near and there would be no escaping once he was drafted. He had known since he enrolled in piloting school that his destiny was to be in the military. It was his calling. 

Based on their testimony, the wives were sentenced to go home and not talk to anybody else about where their husbands were being shipped. Peggy and the other women uttered their last goodbyes. They didn’t speak a word until they were sure their husbands arrived safely to their destinations. During this final exchange, Billie and Peggy tearfully had to say goodbye to each other after only being wed to each other for six short yet wonderful weeks. 

Throughout the course of the war, that one confirmation was the only thing she ever received about Billie. His whereabouts were a mystery to Peggy, and with the unorganized bureaucratic mess of the U.S. Army Billie was lost. 

However, the military was in complete disarray at the time. Peggy was sent a message by the Army’s Supreme Headquarters located in France that her husband was on his way home. Unfortunately, that news was very far from the actual truth. She was fed false information about Billie on more than one occasion. She realized that if she ever wanted to hear from him again, she had to get to the bottom of this situation herself. 

Peggy read and reread the telegram message before the realization hit her that it contained false information. She kept handwritten letters from her husband that were dated after the telegram stated he was alive and well, although the government had declared him missing. Trying to get everything patched up, Peggy went to the telegraph office herself. The message she got had the wrong date, that Billie went missing in action on July 17, not July 7. None of this felt right. 

His parents also believed that Billie had been experiencing memory loss which was why he hadn’t come home. Regardless of anything that was said or believed, Peggy knew in her heart that the entire situation was faulty. So, her gut kept telling her to investigate until she saw the unnerving whites of Billie’s eyes. 

With Peggy’s heart heavy, she and his parents reached out to the International Red Cross for any information about Billie. Peggy wouldn’t just give up and have the fatality of war be the excuse for his disappearance. She would stop at nothing until she got answers. 

More information started to flood in and Peggy began piecing together the real truth behind Billie’s vanishing. It seemed that there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon and that she may finally get some answers. 

Peggy never received one thing. Nobody came to her door or personally gave her a telegram. 70 years had passed and not one bit of news found its way onto Peggy’s doorstep. Regardless, Peggy would always remain Billie’s wife no matter what. 

Every ounce of her soul and fiber of her being was dedicated to finding her husband. All of these personality and character traits combined led her to never give up and remain faithful to continuing the search decades after. Despite the silence, she still persevered. 

It didn’t matter how long it would take or how many more dead ends she would get to, she refused to rest. She couldn’t admit defeat. Her lifelong search had to pay off somehow. 

Rep. Thornberry carelessly mentioned in an interview that Billie was a troop and not a person. He kept making false statements about what was happening. Thornberry’s team blatantly spread false information which was never researched. Ultimately, Thornberry made a public apology to Peggy regarding his role in telling falsities to the public. 

Only a little bit more time would go on until the truth would finally be revealed to Peggy. And it was really revealed this time around. It was Billie’s cousin, Alton Harvey, who lit the truth torch. 

Alton also believed that something had happened to Billie. After Billie’s extremely long absence, Alton made the decision to request Billie’s military records, hoping to shine a light on his disappearance. He wanted to lend the peace of mind that Peggy and his family had been longing to receive. 

As Alton scoured the records over and over again, he found something intriguing. There was a young French woman who had also been asking about Billie.

Of course, questions and suspicions swirled around who the identity of this French woman was and what was her connection to Billie. Alton’s curiosity morphed into obsession and after decades of not receiving unanswered questions, there’s a possibility that the woman held the answers. 

Billie was the epitome of a soldier who had perfected skills, skills that earned him the Distinguished Flying Across Award along with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters and other medals. Billie was way more than solely a patriot and soldier. 

While he was in preparation for his homecoming, he wrote a letter to Peggy expressing how happy he was to see her again. Billie missed the boat that would bring him home. He got an announcement that the trip would be postponed. 

Getting back would take time and the next ship to bring the other boys back was weeks out. Yet again, Billie was instructed to wait to go home. Weeks flew by and just as he was ready to board the ship, he was informed again that he would have to wait. It was this second time that would alter Billie’s life forever. 

On his last mission, he was flying over Les Ventes when his plane was shot down. Billie had to make a life changing decision. With only seconds to spare, Billie made the call.

He had two options. The first was that he could either eject himself from the cockpit and let the plane crash into the town below, taking the lives of innocent people. The second option was somehow to veer the plane away from the town and risk his life. It wasn’t even a question of what was the right thing to do. 

It was revealed that the identity of the French woman mentioned earlier was Valerie Quesnal. She happened to be one of the townspeople who survived due to Billie’s fast decision making skills and hard maneuvers to spare the town instead of plummeting into it. Valerie searched for Billie’s files because the Liberation of Les Ventes was on the horizon. She wanted to know about the amazing and fearless man who saved the town.

The folks of Les Ventes had assumed the pilot in the crashed plane was Canadian, so they buried him in their sacred grounds. They not only honored him, but others who also served in the war. Still, they had no idea who this man was or his origins. 

Billie had always possessed a giving spirit and always volunteered, putting others before himself. On that fateful day, Billie gave up his future with Peggy and his dreams of starting a family with her so that others could continue living. He sacrificed so much, a valiant trait which proved that he was an extraordinary human and soldier.

To this very day, Billie is still considered and spoken of highly, with much fondness and admiration. Billie Harris’ grave, according to CBS, is the most decorated in the entirety of Normandy.

To this very day, the townsfolk still march down Place Billie D. Harris three times each year. While Peggy hadn’t been aware of what truly happened to Billie all that time ago, Les Ventes’ citizens would always hold him fondly in their memories. 

The mayor of Les Ventes even gets teary when he talks about Billie Harris. That single moment of decision making where Billie decided to save the town rather than himself, would never be forgotten. Upon learning of where Billie rested, Peggy sent flowers ten times a year to honor his service and the life they could have built together. 

For Guy, he regrets that he didn’t do enough for Billie. Obviously, there was nothing that he could do and Peggy was fully aware of that. She has shared with Guy that she is just happy knowing that Billie wasn’t by himself when he died and that Guy was close by.

There was no doubt (not even for a second) that Billie wasn’t an honorable and remarkable human. His primary mission in life was to help others and that mission further cemented his status as a hero. Despite Peggy and Billie only being married for such a short period of time, she never remarried and never stopped searching for the truth. 

It’s a sad ending with no happily ever after or true closure for Peggy and Billie’s family. One thing is beyond certain: Peggy didn’t stop loving Billie for one second. Her unconditional and unwavering love for him kept her going and led her to uncover the actual truth behind his strange disappearance. The best part of the story is that she finally got to bring her other half and love of her life home for good.