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A woman in Italy had her birthday cake “returned” nearly 77 years after World War II soldiers made off with the homemade treat.
The U.S. Army Garrison Italy replaced the cake Meri Mion lost in 1945 after the 88th Infantry Division battled German forces near her home in Vicenza, Italy, that spring, the garrison wrote in a news release.
At the time, Mion was 12 years old. She had been sheltering in the attic of her family’s farm in San Pietro in Gù, a small commune in northeastern Italy, located in the Province of Padua.
Meri Mion, 90, was presented a special birthday cake by the U.S. Army Garrison Italy to replace the one she lost 77 years prior. (Laura Kreider / U.S. Army Garrison Italy)
The battle concluded by the time her 13th birthday came around on April 29, 1945. Her mother reportedly baked her a cake to celebrate and set it on their window sill to cool off.
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Unfortunately, Mion never got to taste the homemade cake her mother. That’s because “resourceful American soldiers” had taken the cake, according to Col. Matthew Gomlak, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Italy.
“Her happiness turned into disappointment,” Gomlak said in a statement.
Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Meri Mion’s 90th birthday in Italy. Sgt. Peter Wallis, a military police soldier, presented her with a special cake the U.S. Army Garrison Italy ordered for her on Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Laura Kreider / U.S. Army Garrison Italy)
The U.S. Army Garrison Italy convened to replace the cake Mion lost all those years ago for her 90th birthday.
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She was presented with a new cake on Thursday, April 28, by Sgt. Peter Wallis, a military police soldier from Seabeck, Washington.
“It was a little awkward, but it makes me feel great to give her the cake,” Wallis said in a statement.
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Hundreds of people joined the U.S. Army Garrison Italy in wishing Mion a happy birthday, which included local residents, Italian soldiers and veterans, carabinieri and U.S. veterans.
Meri Mion’s 90th birthday cake included white frosting, chocolate icing, decorative candy pieces and fresh fruit. (Laura Kreider / U.S. Army Garrison Italy)
In a video the garrison uploaded to YouTube, attendees are shown singing the Italian and English versions of “Happy Birthday” to Mion.
Mion’s 90th birthday cake included white frosting, chocolate icing, decorative candy pieces, fresh fruit and a written message that said: “Happy 90th birthday” (“Buon 90 complanno”).
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Mion told U.S. Army Garrison Italy that she planned to share the cake with her family on her actual birthday the next day.
She said she “will never forget” the moment.
Fox News Digital reached out to U.S. Army Garrison Italy for comment.
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World War II concluded on Sept. 2, 1945.
The official end date was four months and five days after Mion’s 13th birthday.
