More than 60 years ago, U.S. troops were kind to a little boy in Heidelberg, Germany.

This year, he remembered them and repaid their kindness, in the form of $16.5 million worth of scholarships for military children.

Hans-Peter Wild, a billionaire who developed and marketed the citrus fruit drink, Capri Sun, donated the sum to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. The group provides financial support to children of Marine and Navy veterans to attend college.

Officials said the gift will be spread among 3,000 scholarship recipients over the next 10 years.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Wild said, “The American military saved Germany from the Nazis. They forget so quickly what the Americans have done for us.”

His aim is to remember that sacrifice by continuing to honor those who came to his nation’s aid.

“Education is the most important thing you can give a child,” Wild said. “While America has the best education in the world, it also has the most expensive education in the world. To help the children of Marines is a very good thing.”

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has provided more than 35,000 scholarships to military children since it was founded in 1962. This year roughly 200 students will receive need-based aid ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 from Wild’s gift.

The donation is the largest the foundation has ever received.

To learn more about the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, visit https://www.mcsf.org/