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by Shannon McGiffert –
ANDRE AND his son were reunited with Andre’s father, whom they had not seen for 20 years. |
In 2001 the Missing Persons Department at Western Territorial Headquarters received an inquiry from Andre, an American currently living in Germany. His wish was to make contact with the father that he and his brother, Aaron, had not seen in over twenty years.
Andre had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to locate their estranged father, Darren. Darren had not been in contact with his boys since Andre’s high school graduation in 1984. Andre had joined the military, married and started a family. He wanted his three children to know their grandfather.
Once located, Darren was for a short time apprehensive about why his sons wanted contact with him after so many years. He opted to communicate with his sons via the department’s letter forwarding option. Father and sons exchanged photos and filled in the blanks of the past twenty years. Soon, Darren sent a letter to our office stating that he and his sons were now in direct contact and it was okay to close their case.
Recently we received a letter from Andre—he and his oldest son had come to the U.S. to visit his father. Andre wrote: “Two years ago I contacted you asking for help in finding my father. Your help was very fast and accurate and since then I have regular contact with my father. This summer I went to visit him while on vacation. Enclosed are photos of our reunion. I thank you folks sincerely for everything. Thank you and God bless you!”
You can contact the Missing Persons Department at (800) 698-7728.