This is a note from a longtime on again/off again reader. We won’t use the screen name out of respect for their anonymity.
We would like nothing more than to help him make a connection with his past.
If you are a blogger, please share. If you are a reader, spread it on social media.
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In 1965, my father was stationed at Ft. Lewis Washington. When I was born, my mother and father were not married, and we lost touch with him before I was old enough to remember him. I have only a few bits of information to link me to him over the gulf of 50 years, and don’t even know if he is still alive. If anyone knows, has known, or recognizes the single picture of him I have I would love to meet him, or learn his story. Do I have siblings, Aunts and Uncles, where am I from?
His name is (or was) Charles Edward Clifton, he was born sometime around 1940 – 1945, and stationed at Ft. Lewis Washington in 1965, I think at least the entire year, but he could have been there before, and left there after.
I have checked with the Military Graves registry to see if I could find him among the KIA / MIA of Vietnam, and checked the Wall to see if his name was there. I have little to go on, and although the Veterans Administration has attempted to assist, without a Service number or Social Security number they don’t have a close enough match, or enough information to link me to a past service member.
I have joined Ancestry.com in an attempt to link him to me somehow, but I am finding that Charles Clifton is not as rare a name as I would hope.
If you know, or ARE Charles Clifton, please know I don’t want anything from you, I only want to know who I am and where I came from. You may or may not have a family, but I can give you beautiful grandchildren for Christmas this year.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Derek Jon Russell (Son of Johanna Gibson nee: Ripplinger)
Dude, do the ancestry.com DNA test. True story, my cousin spit in their bottle a couple months back and came up with an older half brother I knew nothing about. Stay tuned for the movie.
“You may or may not have a family, but I can give you beautiful grandchildren for Christmas this year.”
This worked on me. This is powerful.
I found my brother who had been missing for over 30+ years. Discovered that he died about 3 years ago. I checked out Find a Grave.com entered in Charles Clifton and found one that was born around the time it was stated.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSfn=Charles+&GSmn=&GSln=Clifton&GSbyrel=all&GSby=&GSdyrel=all&GSdy=&GScntry=4&GSst=0&GSgrid=&df=all&GSob=n
There’s other Cliftons listed, I hope you find out what happened to your father and that he’s still alive. My brother and his dog were cremated and placed together in his grave. At least he got a head stone.
I posted it all over the site sharing sites I hope he finds him…
Derek, my heart goes out to you. Although I know who my father was, he died when I was ten. I didn’t have many years to ask him questions and learn about him nor his ancestors and offspring.
I knew I had half siblings in Italy and know their names, but don’t even know the names of my grandparents nor my father’s middle name. All I have is his citizenship paper, his port of call, and a couple photos of my half siblings. I’ve been searching since we got internet access in the 80’s, and finally gave up about 8 years ago.
Forty years ago,a priest who knew my father wrote a letter in Italian which I sent to the last known address in Rome. It came back with something like address unknown.
That priest piqued my interest when he asked me if my dad ever said anything about his uncle who was a cardinal. I knew my dad had been in seminary before marrying, but I had no clue as to his relatives. Father C. didn’t expound.
I hope your learn about your dad, and please know that even if you don’t meet him on earth, you will meet him in heaven.
P.S. Your dad would be between the ages of 70 and 76. He could very well still be alive. Don’t give up hope, I think you will find him. Miracles do happen all the time.
Praying for you, Derek. Your dad, too.
Fur, you’ve got mail
Derek, I’ve seen pictures of your beautiful wife and children. If this doesn’t work out between you and your father, either way you’re still a lucky man!
If anyone forgot, it is Cloverton’s lyrics. I now have a preferred performer. Thanks so much.
I’ve heard about this baby boy
Who’s come to earth to bring us joy
And I just want to sing this song to you
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
With every breath I’m singing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
A couple came to Bethlehem
Expecting child, they searched the inn
To find a place for You were coming soon
There was no room for them to stay
So in a manger filled with hay
God’s only Son was born, oh Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
The shepherds left their flocks by night
To see this baby wrapped in light
A host of angels led them all to You
It was just as the angels said
You’ll find Him in a manger bed
Immanuel and Savior, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
A star shown bright up in the east
To Bethlehem, the wisemen three
Came many miles and journeyed long for You
And to the place at which You were
Their frankincense and gold and myrrh
They gave to You and cried out Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I know You came to rescue me
This baby boy would grow to be
A man and one day die for me and you
My sins would drive the nails in You
That rugged cross was my cross, too
Still every breath You drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
And this was absolutely not the tab I meant to post to.
Good luck to you.
I lost my Dad very young. I wasn’t old enough to know him and I understand about having many unanswered questions.
I hope you find him and can meet him alive.
If not, I like the thought that you will meet him in Heaven and with all the time in the world for knowing and belonging.
Shit RosalindJ shit faced again. She’s a terrible drunk. LOL
I agree with the comment about doing a DNA genealogy test. My wife, who was adopted, did Ancestry’s DNA test just for fun to find out her genetic ethnicity. She found that out, but then she started getting messages from people marked as likely 1st cousins, asking whether she was from this or that side of the family.
I can’t stress enough to this reader how important it is to join the Search Squad group on Facebook. They specialize (free!) in solving just such cases. How do I know? I registered with them to find a son put up for adoption by a dear friend who had been searching for the child for 52 years. It took them a week. Please consider this– I can’t tell you how wonderful their search angels are. Real pros, hundreds of reunions, including my friend’s. And they lived happily ever after…
The Search Squad sounds like a great idea, should the searcher not want to use a DNA test.
Not hammered, yet, BB. Just not paying attention. I’m saving that for sometime next week, though. 😆
I want to thank everyone of you for the support, and the prayers, even RoselindJ (drunk as she may be, that is still one of my favorite songs). I have searched for him (off and on) for a long time, this time maybe the Ancestry DNA test will point me on the right track.
God bless you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.