Month: December 2019

More than 100,000 babies were born to unwed German mothers in the ten years following World War II. Their fathers, from Allied forces, left Germany without ever meeting them.

The War Babes Act

According to gitrace.org, “War Babes” was a British-based organization established in the 1980s.  They assisted adults born to American service members during World War II (or other relevant periods.)  In 1989, they took out a class-action suit against the American Defense Department for refusing to release information about GI fathers.  On November 16, 1990, the War Babes organization settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government, allowing them to access military records.

Many children were born to U.S. service members who knew nothing about their fathers. With the advancement of DNA technology and the popularity of DNA testing sites, these individuals will soon identify their fathers. GI Trace has made it possible for those children to obtain military records on their suspected fathers to see if the files match their history.

My Friend, Susanne, A War Babe

Susanne was one of these “war babes.” She was born in Germany in the 1960s. Her biological father was in the Army, and her birth mother was a German woman. The couple had a two-year affair, and Susanne was their second daughter.

Susanne’s biological mother was German, so finding her would be more challenging, so we began with her paternal (American) side.  We started researching her DNA on Ancestry, looking for information about her father.  Her closest matches lived in the United States and appeared to be Americans; thus, her paternal side. There was a strong presence in Bradley, Tennessee, and somehow she was connected to the Epperson family, which became a possible surname.

As the weeks progressed, I narrowed her tree down quite a bit.  I created a family tree and added in her DNA matches (according to their trees), and pieced the family tree puzzle together, one person at a time.  Eventually, I confirmed that her paternal grandparents were Alvin Edgar Epperson (1905-1987) and Eva Claire Cook (1907-1994).  Her biological father had to be one of their sons. I began researching each of these children and discovered only one had been in the military during the 1960s, Thomas E. Epperson (1926-2003).

Sgt. Thomas Epperson was born in Tennessee in 1926.  He was the middle child of three boys, born to Alvin and Eva Epperson. He enlisted in the Army in 1946 and served out of Fort Benning Army Base.  Mr. Epperson married Helen Hook and had William “Randy” Epperson (1953-2013), Richard Epperson, born in 1954, and Donna Epperson.  Mr. Epperson served in Korea and Vietnam as a Staff sergeant.  Mr. Epperson appears to be Susanne’s biological father.  Unfortunately, he died in 2003. What was the connection? Was he stationed with Mr. Hall (who adopted Susanne?) Were they buddies?

Coincidences Between Biological and Adoptive Father

• Both men were in the Army.
• Both men served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
• Both men were out of Ft. Benning, Georgia.
• Both men were serving in Vietnam and stationed in Berlin, Germany

The Adoptive Family

Theodore Crossman Hall (1920-1969) and his wife, Helen “Toni” Carrier (1026-2009), adopted Susanne.

Mr. Hall was one of two sons born to Raymond Hall (`1893-1936) and Mary Loletta Cramer (1895-1978.)  He was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1920.  He had enlisted in the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. His tour began on August 11, 1968. Hall had the rank of Sergeant First Class. His military occupation or specialty was Light Weapons Infantry. His service number assignment was 16177855. He was attached to MACV, Advisory Team 100. During his service in the Vietnam War, Army Sergeant First Class Hall experienced a traumatic event that ultimately resulted in losing his life on March 6, 1969. The recorded circumstances attributed to Dying through non-hostile action. Theodore is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 30w, Line 55.

 

 

 

 

 

Susanne’s German Mother

Susanne’s birth mother, Brigitte Lange, was a beautiful, slender, petit German woman. Brigitte fell in love with a U. S. Soldier stationed in Germany and had a multi-year relationship with him.  Their relationship yielded a daughter born in 1960 (Martina) and another in 1961 (Susanne.) Brigitte became pregnant with Susanne, and the relationship ended, leaving her to care for both girls alone. According to the story, the German authorities would not allow a single mother to have two children and receive financial assistance, so Ms. Lange placed Susanne for adoption.

Susanne’s Sister

Susanne knew she had an older sister named Martina.  Toni told Susanne that Martina was at the adoption hearing with her mother.  She said Brigitte met a soldier, and she wanted to get married and move to the United States.   I continued researching and discovered this public record.  Could this be Susanne’s sister Marina?  Did she leave Stuttgart, Germany, and move to Tennessee?   Initially, Susanne’s DNA offered few clues about Brigitte and Martina.

As the weeks passed, there was finally a new DNA match. It listed a woman named Martina Lange as her sister!  Did Martina know about Susanne?  Did she realize the closeness of the DNA placed her as biological sister to Susanne, sharing the same mother and father?

Imagine having a sister that you didn’t know about.  Imagine discovering this by accident on a DNA website.  My role changed from researcher to mediator.  I had to help Susanne connect with her sister and understand how difficult this new information might be for Martina.  I began email conversations with Martina, and ultimately Susanne and Martina connected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susanne discovered a rich family history that she had never imagined.  Brigitte married that U.S. Soldier, Dickie J. Malott, on January 24, 1963, in Berlin, Germany.  The couple moved to the United States and had five more children. Dickie died in September of 2000, and Brigitte died in November of 2016.  Susanne retired in 2019 and is getting to know her new family.