[1][2] Born in Pădureni in 1905, Maria lived in August 1917 with her grandfather Ion Zaharia in the village of Haret, close to the front.
In the orchard of her grandfather the Romanian Army set up an artillery observation post up a walnut tree that offered a good view of the surrounding landscape.
[1] On 5 August 1917, following a German bombardment, the observer in the Măriuca's orchard was killed and the little girl took his place and communicated via phone what she saw on the battlefield.
"I want to do something for my country too", Maria said to the HQ commanders, puzzled that a child was doing the work of an artillery observer.
[1][2] Her story was immortalized in the 1969 film "Baladă pentru Măriuca [ro]" and in the children's book "Povestiri istorice" (1982) by Dumitru Almaș.