For many veterans, experiencing a war together creates a special bond, but eight decades after World War II, two veterans are just starting to form their own.

For more than a century, 102-year-old Les Schrenk and 101-year-old Casey Bukowski didn't know each other.

"I corresponded with so many of the POWs I was with and every one of them is gone for a good number of years now," Schrenk said.  

But a couple of weeks ago, Schrenk got a pleasant surprise. Even though he lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Bukowski lives near Buffalo, New York, friends of the veterans got to talking and realized the two had a lot in common.

"Actually, unbelievable. Because I had doubts about what would occur and how to approach this thing," Bukowski said.

When Bukowski flew to Minnesota for Schrenk's birthday, his gift was memories and a lot of coincidences. Both men realized they were staff sergeants during World War II. Both were gunners on B-17s and both their planes were shot down on the same day: Feb. 22, 1944.

"I lost my eye at that time and had a shrapnel wound and I was knocked out," Bukowski said.  

After bailing out with parachutes, the Germans captured Schrenk in Denmark and Bukowski in Germany. Then they ended up in the same prison camps at the same time.

"That's amazing. We were practically shaking hands, and yet, we didn't know each other," Bukowski said.

They were subjected to the same brutal conditions, and Schrenk and Bukowski were forced into the infamous 86-day German death march, which many of their fellow soldiers didn't survive.

"We all had very severe dysentery, fleas, lice, and bed bugs. And, of course, the cold," Schrenk said.

"Actually, they told us that was the worst winter in many years. The coldest winter," Bukowski said.

From the pains of war to the joy of liberation. The British freed Schrenk around the same time American soldiers liberated Bukowski.

"Finally, for us, the war was over, and we were able to think of going home," Bukowski said.

Though they were likely just feet from each other in the prison camps and on the death march, it took 81 years to finally meet.

One more coincidence — in both their flight crew photos taken during the war, Schrenk and Bukowski are standing in the same spot: back row, second from left.

"We each brought our own memories back to each other," Bukowski said. "We were together but didn't even know it."

"We are both quite mobile and can clearly remember what happened even 80-some years ago," Schrenk said.

Schrenk and Bukowski met at the Air Force Museum in South St. Paul. They want to thank Schrenk's friend, Mike Johnson, and Bukowski's friend and fellow veteran, Jared Cummings, for connecting them. Next year, the group is planning a trip to Poland to visit the camp sites where Schrenk and Bukowski were held prisoner.