An Army veteran is looking for the long-lost twins he left behind in Korea nearly 50 years ago, and he’s turning to Facebook for help doing it.
Allen Thomas was stationed in South Korea in the 1960s when he married a woman he met there. On September 10, 1967, his wife gave birth to twins, James and Sandy. But just two years later Thomas had to leave the country when his tour ended, so he went to Vietnam so that he might be closer to them.
With Thomas gone, the relationship quickly fell apart. Allen said his wife would not leave her native country to move to the United States, and she wouldn’t let hm bring the twins with him .
The veteran last saw his twins in 1971, when they were four years old. Thomas said he had a feeling he might never see them again.
“Things were so bad, I was honestly thinking about taking my kids and leaving,” he said.
But he returned to the United States, sending money to his family when he could. But when Thomas divorced his wife, she broke off contact and didn’t know where they ended up.
The Army veteran has kept up the search for his long-lost twins, and in 1980 found that they had been adopted by an American family four years before. But he made it no further, as the adoption agency said the children’s mother would not give the address where they had been adopted.
Thomas remarried, and his wife helped him continue the search for his children. When she died, his daughter Charlene kept the search going.
The pair are now turning to Facebook , creating a page to bring more visibility to their search.
In a recent message, Charlene wrote that she hopes the effort can eventually help re-unite other families .
“With this huge, beautiful crowd of folks who are so giving and caring, we could share with another family, or families, and make it a blessing for others too. That is my hope. When we find our kids, we take this group and use it to help other families find their lost people. You all have done amazing things here. So many leads, so much work, so many different people from all over the world working together and sharing for one purpose. This is what God had in mind for us in this world. When I pray, I know that God has blessed this page and will bless you all too.”
The Army veteran said he would like a relationship with his long-lost twins he left in Korea, but said he understands if they do not want to be part of his life. Either way, Thomas said he would like to know where they are so he can leave some mementos and other important items for them.
[Image via Facebook]