Now is the time to write your letters to Rep. Kind and Rep. Fitzpatrick so that this House Resolution does not stall!!

Our Story

In the fall of 2017, Michelle received a message from a new match on her Ancestry DNA account inquiring if she was closely related to anyone who served in the Vietnam war. Knowing the only 2 choices were her father or uncle, she clicked on his profile and saw he had also matched with her brother that she grew up with.

While elated to have a new sibling she never knew about, sadness ensued when realizing he missed knowing their father by just 10 months of passing away. Michelle was determined to make up for a lifetime of missed memories. She eventually moved closer to her new brother to form a loving bond with him and his family. Together, they are helping others connect with their own biological families.

Michelle and Dung’s father was just one of thousands of Vietnam Veterans who fathered a child while serving overseas. The repercussions of the discovery lead Michelle to do more research on other families in similar situations.

Being a 20+ year seasoned Genealogist and Researcher, Michelle’s previous experience with reuniting families were from adoption scenarios. She has successfully reunited dozens or more adoptees and long-lost relatives in the last 20+ years.

It wasn’t until meeting her new brother that she realized the magnitude of children still left seeking their American fathers. From this encounter and experience, Michelle has committed to dedicating her time and talents to help other families reconnect.

Meet the Team

Michelle Reed
Founder & Owner

Starting with her own family tree, Michelle has 20+ years of research and reconnecting families on her resume. She has found and reconnected dozens of families who were from Adoptions and Amerasians.

In her professional life, Michelle is a Graphic Designer, Website Developer, and Digital Marketing Specialist.

In the beginning of 2019, Michelle and her adult son moved from her home state of Michigan to Georgia to be closer to her brother and his family. Her blended family consists of 3 siblings, Dung, Kevin and Donna, (all sharing the same father, but with different mothers).

Their father served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He passed away in 2016, never knowing he had another son out there. RIP Dad <3

Dung Peter Pham
Partner & Vietnamese Translator (and amazing brother to Michelle)

Dung was born in Saigon, Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War. His mother discovered she was pregnant and fled into deep jungle territory in hopes of saving herself and her child. Dung was raised by family in this secluded jungle area.

In early 1990, he and his mother and siblings made their way to American through the Amerasian Homecoming Act established to bring children of American Soldiers to the US. He became a US citizen and met and married his Vietnamese wife, Van. They have 4 beautiful children and also reside in the North Atlanta, GA area.

He often runs into other individuals who are half-American/half-Vietnamese and will share his story. He hopes to find more Amerasians who are in search of their American fathers and families and assists them as liaison and interpreter for WarBabies.

What We Do

Warbabies.org is compiling a database of both American Veterans and Amerasian Children. This database is secure and not to be released to the public or any individual outside of it’s organization. We hold anonymity to a higher standard due to the nature of each individuals experience.

We take every precaution of maintaining an individuals rights and respect their privacy as much as possible.

We utilize several DNA testing companies and comply fully with their terms of service. Upon DNA sample submission, we analyze the results and who they connect with.

If a close match is made, we take steps to try to contact the individuals and conclude how they are related and work towards finding out who the father is or who the child is based on the amount of DNA centimorgans between each individual. Additional testing with closer relatives may be necessary.

Sometimes luck is on our side and we find that the matches are close, half siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.

Then the real work begins… The Reunification Phase. We act as a liaison between the families until they are both comfortable with the next phase, the Healing Phase.

We do not judge circumstances and strongly believe that it is not a shameful or embarrassing situation and that a loving and caring relationship can develop over time.

We need your help…

If you would like to join our team, please send us your resume and a bio, with a short essay on how you can help in our mission. We are currently seeking volunteer Grant Writers, Researchers, Communications, Counselors, and Translators that can speak multiple languages.

Email Us

15 Jun 2025

Dear Military Veteran

Dear Military Veteran,

Thank you for your service! Welcome Home!

War is hell, and you gave so much of yourself and sacrificed so much for our country. In some cases you did it against your will (drafted), or you stepped up to the call of honor and duty, and did so unselfishly. We could not be more prouder of you!

You may have come home and faced some unfavorable backlash, and for that, I am so very sorry. You did NOT deserve to receive any type of negativism. It is just uncalled for, there was nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hang your head low about. You are the epitome of honor, strength and dignity, and hopefully enough time has passed that those who disgraced you, came to see their wrongdoings. One can hope….

However, this letter to you serves a purpose. I pray that it starts a healing process for you, because YOU deserve peace and love.

I want to bring up an unspoken subject, one that has been joked about, one that has sat at the back of your mind for the last 40 or more years. You may have pushed it deep down and even forgotten about it. That is OK! There is no right or wrong way to feel about this subject…. until today. Today after reading this letter, you have a choice, a decision to make. And after you read my letter, I pray to each and every one of you that you make the right choice.

I would like to talk to you about the Children of War, the Children of Dust, or “bui doi”. I understand this is a very sore subject, but let me share with you my own story and why I am assisting these Amerasian children.

My own dad had fathered a son while serving in the Vietnam war. His name is Dung and was born in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam in 1971. He is just 3 years older than me. After the war ended, Dung escaped Vietnam and moved to the US in 1990 through the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987. He became a US citizen and built a whole new life and started a family. But something was always missing, half of his family!

His story, it completely broke me to hear. He faced ridicule for being a half-breed. He was made fun of and treated unkindly for his “yellow” hair and American features. Life was completely different for my older brother than the life I grew up in. In the late 70’s/early 80’s while I was playing with Barbie dolls and swimming in crystal clear swimming pools, he was romping through a swamp land, dodging poisonous snakes and sleeping on the ground. It seems so long ago, almost like someone else’s story, but it is our story, it is real, and it matters!!

We are NOT alone, there are thousands of other children born from American soldiers in several wars and conflicts across the world. It happens, and you have the power to make a huge difference in someone’s life, and hopefully your own!

In 2017, my brother sent in a DNA test with 23andMe and Ancestry. In October 2017, he matched with me, and my younger brother who I grew up with, through my AncestryDNA test, (1,462 centimorgans shared across 49 DNA segments). When I discovered this, I was highly skeptical, I thought it was a scam or that Ancestry made a mistake. Surely not MY DAD, he wouldn’t ever do something like father an unknown child. I was the oldest child, how could he have another child older than me? See, I couldn’t ask my dad because he had just passed away the year before. So I HAD to rely on this DNA test to prove this was true. I also later submitted a DNA test to 23 and Me… guess what, we matched there also!

DNA doesn’t lie…. I am telling you this because I didn’t want to believe it either. I was scared, I was shocked, I was saddened.

When I finally got to speak to my brother Dung, it was very uncomfortable. But I had an open mind and what I can tell you is that finding Dung (who I now call Peter as his American name) has been nearly the best thing that has happened in my life short of having my own child! He is very kind, caring and is just another human being out in the world who has every right to know who his family is. Just like so many other Amerasian adults, he just wanted to be accepted and to know us and our father and any other family we had.

Contrary to the assumption that Amerasian people are just seeking money or citizenship or some crazy idea of coming to America, most just want to know who their kin is. They just want to be accepted by their family. These children are now in their 40’s and have children of their own, your grandchildren. If they were lucky enough to make it to America, they became US Citizens, worked and supported their families, just like you did when you returned home.

Now you know my story, I want to speak frankly about your time in the service. We understand you may have had to do some awful things, War is Hell, and just living through it, if you can find brief moments of joy, escape, affection, we do NOT blame you for being a young man in a foreign country, just trying to survive. You are a being having a human experience. Many young men had relationships, (encounters, escapades, whatever you want to call it) with local native women where they were stationed (from Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Guam, Philippines and many other locations around the world). Many were in legitimate relationships with these women, most were just brief.

It happened, and it is time to stop sweeping the memory of it under the rug. It doesn’t have to be a shameful secret, it is no longer a taboo topic. If you had an encounter with a woman while serving your country, you have a high probability that you fathered a child, your son or daughter. How amazing is that??!! What a true blessing and gift from God!

This person is a living, breathing, human being with God-given rights, even in their own country. If you survived the war, and they survived after the war, there is a person with YOUR DNA out there in the world. Today, it is time to acknowledge this FACT without any judgement what-so-ever!

Please just take some time to think about the impact you have as a Veteran who proudly served his country, who left their DNA overseas. I only wish my Dad was still alive to learn what a great son he has and that his other children love him just as much as he would have.

I know it is difficult to think about, but remember the shame and guilt of returning home and facing many who ridiculed you? I will say this again, you DID NOT deserve that treatment. Neither do your Amerasian children.

If you want to talk to someone who has been there, you can contact me any time. I know there are a lot of emotions that go along with this and I will be here to help you process it every step of the way if you want.

We are not a large corporation, this not-for-profit organization consists of just a handful of people who have been impacted by the story and the history of Amerasian’s and want to help reconnect families. We do NOT charge a fee for our services, and at this time are strictly operating online to keep expenses very low.

Let me close with this… God himself is giving you this wonderful gift of a son or daughter, and the rest of your family a potentially positive experience and lesson to learn here. Please don’t turn your back on them.

Warmest Regards,

Chelle Reed
contactwarbabies@gmail.com

Chelle, Peter, Kevin
Together for the first time!

15 Jun 2025

Our Affiliates

In order to effectively work to make as many cases as we can successful, we utilize many different affiliate and partner networking channels. Below are just some of the websites, groups, organizations and individuals which we support, and in turn support us.

As we grow, we will continue to add more resources and affiliates to this page. If you have a link you would like to add that would be beneficial, please email us at contactwarbabies@gmail.com.

15 Jun 2025

The Face of Our Challenges

Our work can be very difficult, when we reach out to an individual or family member, we often aren’t received very well. A person’s initial reaction is disbelief, confusion or being cautious. With the current problem of identity theft running high, many just will not give out any personally identifying information.

Whether we reach out to a sibling, a parent, a cousin, aunt or uncle or grandparent, we always identify ourselves by name, and give our own personal experience story. We give them time to think about why we are contacting them. Once they understand the reason we are calling, we state that any information they provide will be secure and not released to anyone without their permission.

Many times people just don’t comprehend what we are asking for, it’s a shock and the disbelief of why we are contacting them and makes many not want to discuss the situation. We get hung up on, told off, threatened, and blocked.

Yet we still try. We still persist until it is clear that the person absolutely does not want to help us or hear that they have an Amerasian family member. We accept it and continue on looking for other family members who would like to know them.

It is based off the fear of not knowing what will happen or what they will learn. So we must do our best to educate the public that the Amerasian generation is legitimate, they are real people just wanting to know their families and be accepted. They are not scammers, or con artists. They are not lesser people. They are loving and caring individuals with their own lives and own families who just want to know their other side of the family.

Please consider helping us spread the word that Amerasian children are human beings just like yourself, just looking for their families, and just trying to live a better life. Communication is key and the more we talk about it, the more it will become easier to talk about.

I am always open to listen if you have any questions or just want to talk to someone about your situation. I have been there and can offer a safe place to voice your feelings.

Chelle Reed
Founder of WarBabies.org

15 Jun 2025

The Great Fire of 1973

It is in my experience that many Vietnam Veterans were told that their Service Records were destroyed in a fire. Often time, with great persistence, records were found and copies were provided. It is important to note that the branch and years of records that were destroyed in the table below. If you or your loved one served outside of this time period, don’t let anyone tell you your records were destroyed in a fire!! Keep pressing for your records!

Branch	Personnel and Period Affected	Estimated Loss
Army	Personnel discharged November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960	80%
Air Force	Personnel discharged September 25, 1947 to January 1, 1964 (with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)	75%

Complete info can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973

15 Jun 2025

Help! Someone contacted me saying we are related and they are Amerasian!

So you’ve recently been contacted from someone saying they are a cousin, sibling, or child of a US military veteran. What do you do? What do you think? How do you respond?

First of all, don’t panic like I did. This isn’t the end of the world as you know it. Chances are that you or someone in your known family has done a DNA test and it matched with the Amerasian person. If a search angel is involved, like Warbabies, we have done extensive analyzing and researching of your family tree and have deducted or concluded, WITH GENETIC DNA SCIENCE, that they are related to you. Or we are simply just looking for information to fill in any gaps or to rule other connections out.

When I got the message from my Ancestry account that I matched with my half brother that I never knew about, I panicked. Why? Because our father passed away just 10 months prior and my initial thought was it had to be a scam, some weird way for someone to collect money. You all know about those emails from Nigeria, or the daughter of an Arabian princess who needs to send you 3.5 million dollars, right? Those are obviously scams.

However, when I saw the match on AncestryDNA, something inside of me felt like I needed more info. I immediately reached out to my younger brother who also took a DNA test previously and matched with this new person. He saw the same match, and being as he lives in Washington DC and has acquaintances in the government, he reached out to them to find out if this could possibly be a scam. They came back with, “No known scam exists. This is real! DNA doesn’t lie.”

So what now??

We answered! We talked, shared info, asked questions, sent photos, and listened. It was completely awkward at first because we didn’t know what to think, what to say, what to believe. There was a language barrier also, since I was not used to hearing people speak with broken English. I had to be patient and ask to have them repeat themselves. It’s a challenge, but eventually I started to understand better and am even learning some words in another language and learning more about a foreign culture.

It really didn’t take long to accept that we had a new older brother! (I was no longer the oldest sibling lol) And the only thing I regret is not matching with him sooner while our dad was still alive.

Personally, I had no idea that the term Amerasian existed. I had no idea that there were literally hundreds of thousands of Amerasians in the world and that roughly 400 are still in Vietnam and well over a thousand in the Philippenes still looking for their father and American families. I had to do some research to find out more! Just one Google search for “Amerasian” produces countless articles, videos, groups, books, interviews and photos of American Military Veterans looking for their children that’s left behind, most never knowing they even existed, but most Vets were in legitimate relationships with Vietnamese women, some even marrying them!

What should I do?

You have several choices, both good and bad. We don’t recommend ignoring anyone who contacts you. That’s completely rude, at least respond to hear them out. Many Amerasians are desperately looking for their fathers and family, they feel very similar to someone who was an adoptee, they just want to know their families and be accepted. They want health history for themselves and their own children. They want photos to compare what they look like and if they look like someone else who is biologically connected to them.

In the case of Amerasians who are still living in the country where they were born (Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Germany, Guam), the US government created the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which allows children of US Soldiers who were stationed in these countries to be considered to have US citizenship. Read this again, these Amerasian ARE rightfully allowed to be a US citizen, if they follow the steps and submit their forms and DNA results to prove they are half-American. Most DNA kits are already paid for from either the Amerasian themselves or kind-hearted individuals who donate for these tests. If you are open to accepting their connection to you, they may wish to have help coming to the US. Not necessarily financial help, but documentation as proof you are related. Keep in mind, the majority of Amerasians are already in the US and have already become US Citizens.

The good and kind thing to do is be open about the possibility of discovering you have this wonderful gift of a new relative! They have amazing stories to tell and so much love to give. Please help them, and yourself, have closure and peace. It is the right and moral thing to do!

But am I opening a bad can of worms? What if my family gets angry or upset?

There is the possibility of some family members being angry or upset. But those feelings come from fear, shame, confusion, embarrassment or guilt. Older generations often don’t want to go back in time to relive the horror of war. It’s forcing them to remember the worst part of their life. Every dark cloud has a silver lining, and usually from tragedy comes a lesson. After a storm, look for a rainbow. It doesn’t have to be a negative experience, reconnecting with a long lost or unknown family member can be a positive experience! You can be the missing link that gives another human being the peace and closure they DESERVE!

I’m very angry or upset to be contacted. I don’t want anything to do with this and wish it would go away!

Yes, I have been told this before. It’s terribly sad and frustrating to hear, but we must honor your decision. If you have been contacted by an individual claiming to be your long-lost Amerasian relative and you have no interest or desire to know them, please just state so in a compassionate and polite way. In the event that you tell us at Warbabies that you no longer wish to be contacted again, we will respect your decision. We have already prepared a report to give to our client which may include your contact info and any photos we have found on the internet. All info we find is freely available on the internet through Public Domain. We are NOT to be held responsible for what ever the client does with this information. You have every right to refuse and reject any contact. However, understand that others in your family may not feel the same as you. Please respect their wishes if they want to communicate with their Amerasian relative.

I’m nervous, who can I privately talk to about this?

Call, text or write me!! I’ve been there! And now I have an absolutely wonderful brother, 2 fabulous nieces, 2 very cool nephews and a beautiful sister-in-law that I love and adore! We never share information with anyone without permission. If you are just curious to know, I can be a comforting liaison between you and the Amerasian individual. I am a former search angel to has helped reunite Adoptees with their birth families for over 20 years, and now my focus is to help reconnect US military veterans with the children they left behind. I have the knowledge, tools and experience to help. And I do it out of the kindness of my heart and never charge a fee! This has been my life’s mission to help others and God has blessed me with this ability. I fully intend to use this blessing to help others.

Please help me spread the word, DNA is the link, and knowledge is vital for this generation of brothers and sisters left behind. Veterans often speak of never leaving a fallen soldier behind, their children shouldn’t be ignored or left behind either. Share this post so that we can bring awareness to this very incredible issue.

15 Jun 2025

North Korea Returns Presumed U.S. Remains

Help identify the 55

“The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is incredibly encouraged by the news that North Korea has returned 55 boxes of remains believed to be U.S. service members who have been missing in action since the Korean War,” said VFW National Commander B.J. Lawrence.

“This is a huge step in the right direction that we hope will finally bring peace to the peninsula and closure to American families who have been waiting more than six decades for their loved ones to return home from their war.” The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency lists 7,691 missing Americans from the Korean War, with some 5,300 believed to be in North Korea. DPAA also lists 111 Cold War losses in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula.

* POW/MIA DNA Samples Needed.

The Department of Defense wants family members of All Veteran that are MIA to give a DNA sample. The phone numbers are: Army 1 800 982 2490 * Marines 1 866 210 3421 * Navy 1 800 443 9298 * Air Force 1 800 531 5803 * Coast Guard 1 202 795 6637.

When you call have the following information: Your relation to the Veteran (family member). The war they were in. The time period. Where they were stationed. Service number. And approximate time they became missing.

Once this is received they will send out a test kit, with all instructions. Consisting of two cotton swabs for the inside of your mouth. Then send back.This is FREE. The time frame is about two weeks to get the results, if they have the veterans DNA on file. * It should be noted that once all family members become deceased , it is impossible to identify the remains.

* Praying for All Service members and their families!

15 Jun 2025

Help! I think I found my Amerasian Child!

So you’ve done a DNA test and found a child who may be yours and is Amerasian. What do you do? What do you think? How do you respond?

First of all, don’t panic. This is happening literally to thousands of people every day across the country. It’s shocking, surprising, scary, but not the end of the world and not a bad thing. Tens of Millions of people in the world have taken Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, and other DNA tests. These companies are matching people who are related on every scale. You all know about those emails from Nigeria, or the daughter of an Arabian princess who needs to send you 3.5 million dollars, right? Those are obviously scams. These tests don’t lie, DNA doesn’t lie.

So there it is right in your face, you have a DNA match with roughly 3,475 centimorgans, this is YOUR child. Think on this a bit and let it digest.

Thanks for continuing…. I have to say that I admire you. You have been through a lot in the military and your life. You have sacrificed more than enough and you have the courage to survive when so many haven’t. Thank you wholeheartedly on behalf of myself (daughter of a Vietnam Vet) and everyone in our country.

If you are interested, I have written an open letter to you, Dear US Military Veteran.

What do you do now?

Celebrate that you have a child! You have a gift, you created a human being and that human being may possibly want to have contact with you. What a remarkable situation, there is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Circumstances happen and life happens, but you now have a glorious opportunity to become a father. Take full advantage of this!

You may want to keep this to yourself at first, unless you are open with your significant other or spouse. There will be a flood of emotions and you just need time to take it all in. Give yourself that time, as this is between you and your child.

What do you think?

You may be feeling all kinds of mixed emotions, shock, anger, sadness, resentment, fear… all normal. You could be feeling joy, happiness, hope, anticipation… again all normal. It’s completely up to you how to feel and you have every right to your feelings. However, on behalf of your Amerasian child, I beg you to stay open minded and consider keeping a line of communication open. Amerasian children had an unimaginable life filled with very unkind daily living, if they even made it long enough to live into childhood. The truth of war is most Amerasian children were often abused or even killed, just because they were of mixed race. If they were spared, they lived a life of discrimination, often called Bụi đời (children of dust). Imagine thinking your life was valued as less than dust.

How do you respond?

The right thing to do would be to send a message to acknowledge your child as your child. Confirm that you are indeed their father. Most often that is all that the Amerasian wishes, acknowledgement they are someone’s son or daughter. After that, this is where things could get quite complicated depending on your thoughts, feelings or situation. You may want to set a boundary with your child asking them to give you some time to think about the situation with a promise that you will continue a discussion at a later date. Then take that time for yourself to think about how you want to proceed. You may want to talk to family or a professional on how to deal with this circumstance. Please follow up with them, because I can guarantee they are waiting on pins and needles for a response. They may continue to message or call you because of their eagerness. You have to understand their determination and anticipation to be your child.

If you decide not to have a relationship with them, think of a kind way to explain that to them. As an Amerasian child, they fear abandonment and rejection on a much larger scale. They deserve to know the truth, and you do owe them that much. Perhaps just consider keeping those lines of communication open on a level you are comfortable with.

If you decide to accept them into your life, I truly applaud you!! You can take it slow or dive head first into a relationship, that choice is yours. It may take some time to get used to the idea, but think of the possibility of gaining a son or daughter and a whole new part of your family. What a blessing!!

How do I tell my spouse or family?

In all honesty, no one is perfect and this is a sensitive topic, but one that MUST be discussed. Because it will not just be forgotten or go away. It shouldn’t be a secret that you carry to your grave. More likely, others will know especially through DNA testing. The truth will eventually come out and it may not be as bad as you think.

In the case of telling a spouse that you were with prior or during your military service, it may be looked at as an unforgivable infidelity. In hindsight, I bet you said that there would be no way this truth would ever come to the surface…. well, it may be time to fess up. Things I have heard from Veteran fathers have included that they were drunk and don’t remember (the most common). This may be the case, either way, if someone has come to you with a DNA link, you must face that it HAS happened. Simply not remembering doesn’t make this event go away.

If you have a spouse that has stood by your side through out your life, chances are that they will understand with some time and communication. Or they may threaten divorce. This one is a very tough decision, but again, once it comes out, we only hope and pray that it settles on a positive note.

I will elaborate more and give optional talking points later on.

15 Jun 2025

Sharing your Ancestry DNA and Tree

If you have built a family tree and have a DNA kit with Ancestry.com, we will need access to this information to help work your case. There are a couple different ways to do this.

Preferred method – Provide in an email your account login information. Don’t worry, at any time you can change the password and we will no longer have access. If you choose this option, please send your Ancestry account email and password to Contactwarbabies@gmail.com only.
Invite us to the family tree you have built. In order to do this, you must go to your Family Tree settings, at the top you will see Sharing, select that link. In the upper right, you will see +Invite People, click that button and you can either select Username or Shareable Link. Enter either Rootseeker74 for Username, or click the Shareable link. You will need to email me the link to Contactswarbabies@gmail.com only. Make sure you have selected for the Role to be Editor. This is critical to be able to view all of your information.
For DNA kits, go to your DNA Results page and click on Settings. Scroll down to DNA Ethnicity and Matches Access. Click Add a Person and type in Rootseeker74. Important, where it says Viewer, click and select Manager. This is critical to be able to use all of the tools that Ancestry offers.

For any other DNA testing company, you will need to email us your login info, as they do not provide a way to share your results outside of your matches like Ancestry does.

Note: At any time you are able to remove access by any of these methods above. You can change your password or simply return to the Tree or DNA area and remove access to us. This is 100% completely your choice. Please understand that in order for us to assist you, we will need this access.

15 Jun 2025

Help! I think I found my American Father/Family!

So you have submitted your DNA test, found several close matches and tracked down either your father or his family members. Congratulations!!!

Now here comes the hard part. Reunification.

In my experience with both the adoptee community and the Amerasian community, this step is always the hardest part. It stems from a primal fear of rejection, and this is a completely normal feeling, and justified. You were abandoned or had some circumstance that separated you from your family.

The most common questions you have are:

Did you know about me?
Did you think about me?
What do you remember about my mother?
If you knew about me, why did you leave me?

These are tough questions, and something that should be reserved after initial introductions. Although they are completely valid, you must proceed with caution and sensitivity. I can tell you what your father or family are thinking if they did not know about your existence.

Is this a joke?
Is this some sort of scam?
How do I know this is real?
How did they find me?
What do they want from me?
Do they just want money?

These are the most common initial feelings from a father or family member who just learned they had a stranger find them claiming to be related.

In all of the cases that I have worked on for other Amerasians, we have had one 1 successful reunion. This saddens me because these families don’t know what they are missing!!

The reality of this is there is a high chance that if you are Amerasian, your American family will reject you, or seem curious initially, but never come to fully accept you in their lives. This is the shameful outcome of most Amerasians, but not all. Until you actually approach your found family, you will never know the outcome. Please don’t ever give up hope, there have been many wonderful and loving reunions. Check out our Videos Page for all these success stories to inspire you and give you hope!

I had my own feelings of this when my brother Dung reached out to me the first time. I hate to admit that, but it is true, and my fear was validated after contacting my younger brother who received the same message on Ancestry. We needed some time to process this news and ask around to see how legit these claims were. After all, how could our father have known and never done anything about it? Why had he never mentioned this possibility? Did he even know?

Once we took a look at the situation together, we realized it was very real. We had a brother who no one knew about!! While my younger brother proceeded with much caution, I dove in head first into a relationship with my new brother. I instantly loved him and his entire family. The rest of our father’s family were told much later about him, and sadly, they were not as responsive. This hurts my heart straight to my soul, but I cannot make my family accept our brother. I just continue to pray they will come around.

My best advice to you, if you found your American family:

If your English is not that good, find a friend who speaks very good English who can be an interpreter or liaison between you and your family. Or contact us, we can help with this also!
Stick to the facts, share your name, where you are from, the year you were born, where you lived before coming to the US (unless you are still there).
Make sure you have taken your DNA test and tell them exactly how you matched with their relatives and how you have determined your relationship to them.
If you are unsure how you are related to them, state that you are just trying to find your father or any siblings or other relatives. Ask if they could help you figure out who your father is. Some times they will help out of curiosity, a challenge, and to feel good that they can help someone out.
If the subject comes up, be clear of what you want from them. If you want to just know who they are, would like photos, medical history, or if you would like to get to know them and be acknowledged. The more straight you are with them, the quicker they can process and over come their initial shock and fear.

If you are unfortunately met with confusion and rejection, be polite and ask if they would be interested in taking a DNA test (unless they have already). The goal is to keep the communication lines open. Suggest that you can call back later or another day. You don’t want to hit them hard at this point, tread carefully! Try to give them your phone number or email address. This way they can contact you after they had some time and are comfortable talking more about this.

If some time has passed, try again. See if they would be willing to talk to you or a liaison or friend. If you need help in this situation, please reach out to us here at War Babies. We have been there, we know the strong emotions that go along with this process and can help.

The worst outcome is your father or his family rejects your existence and no longer wishes to communication at all with you. This is the hardest thing to accept, but just know this part isn’t about you at all!! If this happens, your father or his family simply lack the coping skills to deal with this type of situation. They have their own fears and may feel like too much time has passed to begin a new relationship. It may stir many feelings of shame, fear, embarrassment that they cannot deal with. In some cases, they were married before going to war and if their wife is still alive and with them, it could cause friction in their marriage, as the wife would be terribly upset at the infidelity.

No matter the outcome of reaching out to your father or family, just know that you are not alone and never give up hope that some day your American family will accept you. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people just like you and facing the same situation. War Babies will be here for you if you need them.

15 Jun 2025

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1640

Uniting Families Act – House Resolution 1640

H.R.1640 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)

Date	All Actions
04/12/2019	Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. Action By: Committee on the Judiciary
03/08/2019	Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Action By: House of Representatives
03/08/2019	Introduced in House Action By: House of Representatives

From the Congressional Record, Volume 165 (2019)

Sponsor: Rep. Ron Kind [D-WI-3] (Introduced 03/08/2019)

CoSponsor: Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick, [R-PA-1]

Committee: House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship

A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the admission of certain sons and daughters of citizens of the United States, which citizens served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States abroad, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

By Mr. Kind (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick)

https://www.govinfo.gov/link/crec/165/h/2613

H2613

Summary:

This bill establishes a non-immigrant visa category for an alien who (1) is 18 or older and is the genetic son or daughter of a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces on active duty abroad; or (2) is the spouse or child of such alien and is accompanying, or following to join, such alien.

To obtain a visa, the alien’s citizen parent must petition and receive approval from the Department of Homeland Security. The petition shall include (1) DNA evidence establishing the parent-child relationship, (2) a written statement that the parent will provide financial support until the alien receives lawful permanent resident status, and (3) proof of the parent’s U.S. citizenship and active duty with the Armed Forces abroad.

The period of authorized admission for aliens with the visa is five years, and 5,000 principal visa aliens may be admitted per fiscal year. Holders of such a visa may adjust to lawful permanent resident status after meeting various requirements, such as being admissible as an immigrant.

Official Text

116th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. R. 1640

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the admission of certain sons and daughters of citizens of the United States, which citizens served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States abroad, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 8, 2019

Mr. Kind (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Uniting Families Act of 2019”.

SEC. 2. ADMISSION OF CERTAIN SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES.

(a) Classification As A Nonimmigrant.—Section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (U), by striking “or” at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (V), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; or”; and

(3) by inserting after subparagraph (V) the following:

“(W) subject to section 214(s), an alien who—

“(i) is 18 years of age or older and is the genetic son or daughter of a citizen of the United States, which citizen served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States abroad; or

“(ii) is the spouse or child of an alien described in clause (i) and is accompanying, or following to join, the alien.”.

(b) Requirements For Admission.—Section 214 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(s) (1) A visa shall not be issued under section 101(a)(15)(W) until a petition has been filed in the United States by the citizen parent of the visa applicant and approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

“(2) The petition shall be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary of Homeland Security shall prescribe, and shall include the following information:

“(A) DNA evidence that establishes that the beneficiary is the genetic child of the petitioner.

“(B) An agreement in writing that the parent will provide financial support for the beneficiary until the beneficiary’s status is adjusted to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

“(C) Information that establishes that the petitioner—

“(i) is a citizen of the United States; and

“(ii) served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States abroad.

“(3) The period of authorized admission for an alien admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant under section 101(a)(15)(W) shall be 5 years, which may be extended for one additional 2-year period.

“(4) The total number of principal aliens who may be admitted under section 101(a)(15)(W) during any fiscal year may not exceed 5,000.”.

(c) Adjustment Of Status.—Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(n) (1) The Secretary of Homeland Security may adjust the status of an alien admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant under section 101(a)(15)(W) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien—

“(A) is admissible to the United States as an immigrant; and

“(B) satisfies the requirements under section 312, unless the alien is a child described in section 101(a)(15)(W)(ii) who is under the age of 18.

“(2) The numerical limitations of sections 201 and 202 shall not apply to the adjustment of aliens to lawful permanent resident status under this subsection.”.

(d) Naturalization.—Section 312(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1423(b)) is amended by inserting at the end the following:

“(4) The requirements of subsection (a) shall not apply to any person who has satisfied such requirements under section 245(n)(1)(B).”.

Now is the time to write your letters to Rep. Kind and Rep. Fitzpatrick so that this House Resolution does not stall!!

15 Jun 2025

The Faces of Amerasians

By: a group of Diemmy Mylai poetry in 2014

We are daughters and sons of the Vietnam Veterans

Dear half Siblings, Uncles, Aunts and Cousins,

I am your sister
I am your brother
I am your niece
And I am your nephew

Your father is my father
To make us siblings
Your brother is my father
To make us cousins
Your Uncle is my father
To make us 2nd cousins

During he served in Vietnam
He meet my mother
And they had me…
It make me into your blood lines…
Why you denied me?
What did I do wrong?
And why you hate me?
I am just victim…

I came to America for ten thousand miles
To search for you and my father
And I found all of you in Ancestry DNA
But you all denied me?
Why?

I don’t want any trouble
And I don’t want any help from all of you
I just want to get to know my father
Because I had lost him so many years.
I just want to see my father…
Please don’t close the door on us

I am just a victim
Was born in the war
You should be love me
And bring me home
NOT to HATE me…
And let me go
Why you divided us?
What did I do to make you hate me?
You father made us
Your brother made me
Your Uncle made me
Now we have to deal with….
Don’t be selfish…

Please let me see your father
Because his is my father too !
Please let me see your brother
Because he is my father !
Please let me see your uncle
Because he is my father !

Please don’t close the door on us
I want to see my father
To how my father’s doing?
If you won’t let me see him….
To make sure to tell him that I am here
In America to see him…
And if he died,
Please tell me how he died?
And where?
So I can go there to visit his grave

Please,
Let me have a moment with my father
Once the last Chance
If he is still alive
Please let me see my father
Then you can close the door …
I don’t question you anymore
Because I know who is really I am
And where I came from

15 Jun 2025

Dear Veteran Wives

Whether you got married before your beloved went off to war, married as soon as he returned home, or in your later years, being a Veteran Wife is a feat not taken lightly and takes the deep love of a woman. You have honored your vows in a way most people will never understand. Your marriage may not have been the best, but you did your best. You have dealt with your husbands nightmares, flashbacks, PTSD, health issues, diseases, trauma, abuse, addiction, neglect, sacrifice and sorrow. Perhaps you were lucky and your marriage was not all that bad, you felt undying love and devotion from your husband daily and love each other more and more as the years go on.

No matter your history, there is no denying that war effects everyone right to the core of their soul. It is brought into your home unannounced and unwelcomed. You have put up with so much, felt unimaginable pain, and had moments where I am sure you could do nothing else but exsist.

Hopefully, you have put the war behind you and started to stablize. Afterall, it has been over 50 years ago, a lifetime ago, even if it seems like your man was coming home just yesterday. You have had children and probably even grand children. You carried on with life, attempting to live it as normal as possible, trying to forget “that part” of your life. Hopefully, your spouse has done the same and you both are looking into your Gold Years with peace and tranquility.

But then one day, there is a phone call, an email, a message, a letter, a knock on the door. It is a long lost child claiming your husband as their father. You are filled with utter rage, shock, betrayal, confusion.

How can this be??? My husband swore to me that he was faithful!!

How could he do such a thing??

I don’t want that person invading our life! How dare they come to us now!

They lie, those DNA tests are a scam! There must have been a mistake!

They must be after us for money or to get into the country!

I have put up with so much, I will NOT put up with this!

I just want to forget it, ignore it, maybe it will all go away!

Stop for a moment please and take a long, deep breath. Please take some time to step away from the situation, because right now, this is between your husband and his potential child. It is a shock, it is scary, but it is REAL. DNA does not lie. After you have been approached, your reaction will affect another individual for the rest of their entire lives. I can guarantee your husband is just as shocked as you are with a million emotions. All are valid, all are justified.

He may be thinking or saying:

I never thought I would have to live this.

I never thought my secret would be found out.

I don’t remember, I was drunk alot.

Maybe if I deny this it will all go away.

They told me I could do what I want and have no reprecussions.

I left that life in that country, I don’t want to go back!

But here it is, not going away. Here is a stranger coming into your life, disturbing your bubble. You have every right to be concerned, but you may not be in the correct frame of mind to handle such news.

If it is true, that your husband did have a relationship with one or more women while serving in the military and it produced a child, you could choose to handle the situation with anger, distrust and resentment. Or you could choose a reaction of forgiveness, love and acceptance. After all, you were not over there with him during those long lonely nights under durest, fear, boredom, stress and terror. You do not know what he was told he could or should do. He may have longed to hold you in his arms, but he was forced to be in a country across the globe and needed a few moments of joy to get him by until he could come home to you.

The affects of war are severe and complicated. None of us know how we would be if put in those situations. You say and do things to survive. Although you may be furious with your husband, please remember one very important fact….. IT WAS NOT THE CHILD’S FAULT TO BE IN THIS SITUATION.

Please, do not blame the Amerasian child for reaching out to find their father. Do not chastise the child for longing to know their siblings. Do not interfere with any communication between the child and your husband or other family. If they can prove their biological connection through DNA testing, it is NOT a scam, it is real. Please let your husband decide how he wants to proceed with the news. He may, himself, not want to deal with the relationship or accept it. He may do so out of shame and embarrassment, or fear of upsetting you.

Perhaps you are in support of this news, but he is not. You can be there for him as you always have, supporting him as he navigates through another difficult time in his life. If you support and accept a new offspring that doesn’t belong to you, YOU deserve the utmost respect and admiration.

For that, the Amerasian community thanks you eternally.

No matter what your opinion is, or how you feel about finding out that your husband has an Amerasian child, please know that WarBabies.org is here for you too. You can personally reach out to me, I would feel honored to help you navigate through this process as well.

Warmest Regards,

Chelle Reed
contactwarbabies@gmail.com

15 Jun 2025

Link to the original article

The Root Cause of How Amerasians are denied US Citizenship.

Johnny Appleseed: Citizenship Transmission Laws and a White Heteropatriarchal Property Right in Philandering, Sexual Exploitation, and Rape (the ‘WHP’) or Johnny and the WHP

Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2019

Blanche Cook
University of Kentucky College of Law
Date Written: October 18, 2018

Abstract

Title 8, United States Code, Section 1409—one of this country’s citizenship transmission laws—creates a white hetero-patriarchal property right in philandering, sexual exploitation, and rape (the “WHP”). Section 1409 governs the transmission of citizenship from United States citizens to their children, where the child is born abroad, outside of marriage, and one parent is a citizen and the other is not. Section 1409, however, draws a distinct gender distinction between women and men: An unwed female American citizen who births a child outside the United States, fathered by a foreign man, automatically transmits citizenship to her child. An unwed male American citizen, by contrast, who fathers a child abroad with a foreign woman has the distinctly male prerogative to either grant or deny citizenship to his foreign-born non-marital child at his leisure.

On the surface, it might appear that § 1409 treats men and women differently because it is easy to determine a child’s mother, as opposed to a child’s father, at birth. In fact, a majority of the Supreme Court has deployed these “natural” differences between men and women to shield § 1409 from three separate gender-based equal protection challenges. Justice Ginsburg, however, has keenly observed, “History reveals what lurks behind § 1409.” What lurks behind § 1409 is a long legacy of white hetero-patriarchy deploying the legal category of citizenship to perfect sovereignty in itself and vulnerability in “foreign” women for the very purpose of sexual domination.

The historical model for this racialized regime of sexual domination is the classic case of Dred Scott, where the denial of citizenship to anyone of African descent further facilitated a white hetero-patriarchal property right in philandering, sexual exploitation, and rape. In Dred Scott, the exclusion of anyone of African descent from person-hood, through the legal mechanism of citizenship, perfected power in white men and vulnerability in racialized others. By excluding anyone of African descent from citizenship, enslaved owners continued to enjoy an unbridled property right in the use and enjoyment of the enslaved. The denial of citizenship to the enslaved facilitated their use as property. Following suit, § 1409 makes citizenship the property of men, through which they can exclude their non-marital foreign-born children from membership in the American polity. Section 1409 vests in these fathers not just a right to exclude their children, but to discard them, leaving them profoundly vulnerable to the sting of “illegitimacy,” ethnic and racial animus, and financial precarity — a form of destruction, while simultaneously empowering these fathers to sexually possess, control, use, and enjoy foreign women. Section 1409 understands all too well: in order to sexually exploit the mother, one must control the status of the child.Suggested Citation:

Cook, Blanche, Johnny Appleseed: Citizenship Transmission Laws and a White Heteropatriarchal Property Right in Philandering, Sexual Exploitation, and Rape (the ‘WHP’) or Johnny and the WHP (October 18, 2018). Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2019. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3460194

15 Jun 2025

Operation Babylift Exhibit at the Gerald Ford Museum

Remembering Operation Babylift

Remembering Operation Babylift – March 26- April 27, 1975.

As the NVA closed in on Saigon, President Ford ordered the evacuation of Amerasian and Vietnamese orphans. Over 3,300 were rescued during the operation, to be adopted by families in the US, Australia and elsewhere.

On 4 April 1975, a C-5A departing Tan Son Nhut Air Base with child evacuees and their US caretakers suffered a catastrophic failure after takeoff, losing most flight control. While trying to return to TSN, it crashed, killing 138 including 75 children and infants and 38 caretakers, women from the Defense Attache Office, Saigon.

God bless you, sisters, soldiers and the children. Rest in peace.

Defense Intellegence Agency – We Remember

Operation “Baby Lift” concludes after flying 2,600 South Vietnamese orphans to the U.S.

15 Jun 2025

Announcements, History, Search Information

Derivative Citizenship: What you should know about bringing your Amerasian child to the US.

From Special Corespondent, Morris Ramsey (American Veteran father trying to get his Amerasian child into the US).

This is info I gained from my 10 years of trying to get my adult aged daughter to the states. The things I learned may not pertain to other southeast Asian countries because of some immigration laws that did not include the Philippines but for the most part where derivative citizenship and the after effects are concerned it is the same. Derivative citizenship [Derivative citizenship is citizenship given to children through the naturalization of parents or, sometimes, to foreign-born children adopted by United States citizen parents, if certain conditions are met. … When a person gets derivative U.S. citizenship, it happens automatically, by operation of law.] is possible before a child who is under the age of 18, but because this process started for me and my daughter long after she was 18 that will be the part I focus on. I will also talk about how legitimization laws by state come into effect with this process. I am not an attorney so this is only my experience.

First off, I want everyone to understand that after the age of 18 it is virtually impossible to gain derivative citizenship. Even in the immigration law it states it must be before that age. The only slight chance you have is if the fathers name is on the birth certificate, he can show that he has had contact over the years with the child or mother and he can show where he gave financial support. This would be in the form of check or money order stubs.

If a child with an American father and has no current contact with the father, derivative citizenship is not possible even if the child is under the age of 18. Part of getting the citizenship is doing a DNA test. With no father present then that is impossible. If a child of an American father has contact with the father but the father never signed the birth certificate then this is where the legitimization laws come into effect.

Some states have this law and others do not. Basically, if a state has this law then a father can just say this is my child and that child is seen as his daughter. This really doesn’t matter if the child is over 18 but for those under 18 and no birth certificate was signed this can be very important. In my daughters case, the two states I showed I had lived did not have the legitimization law. Because I was stationed for a short period in California, my attorney tried to use their legitimization law but the U.S. State Department said no because the time living there was too short. Even though the immigration law read that I could use that argument, they changed the verbiage in the law so myself or anyone after me could never use that.

There is something I want everyone to really understand and listen to. No matter of a child’s age, but especially if the child is over 18 and the father and child together try for derivative citizenship which will most likely be denied, then you will not be able to apply for or get a green card. At least this is what happened to us and I was given this bad news by the embassy in Manila. I was also told they knew the derivative citizenship would not work but they could not tell me before hand which was pretty crappy. The reason this will keep a person from getting the green card, even if it is just to visit, is because after not getting the derivative citizenship the U.S. government will consider that person a flight risk. Meaning that person would become an illegal alien and not return to the Philippines.

Now lets say because of this info you skip the citizenship way and look at the green card. You may get moved closer to the front of the line because there is an American father present, but all stipulations that goes with anyone else applying for a green card goes the same. You must show that you own property, have money in the bank or maybe you have children that you are not taking on the visit and you will be going back to. Just showing one of these will not work. It probably needs to be all and more. This way the government thinks you have to go back to the Philippines.

I know for most everyone that reads this, it crushes a lot of hopes and I am truly sorry for that. For 10 years, me and my family have had hopes crushed at every turn and it is painful. No matter if you are 18 or 50, none of this is your fault!!!

Whether us fathers lost contact, didn’t contact or just left you behind, this falls on us and the U.S. government. We are to blame. I blame no one other than myself for me and my daughters situation, but I do blame the government for being such asses about it. I missed out on a lot of years with my daughter and it took many of us to grow up from that young arrogant military person to realize that. But again….It is not your fault!

But lets go on to some hope you all may have. The I-130 Petition for alien relative. I will not talk a lot about it because I do not know enough on how it works but even if you have never had contact with your American father this is a possibility for you if you have a relative that resides in the US and is an American Citizen. Its even better if you do have contact with your American father. A family member that is a citizen of the U.S. can petition for a family member to come to the states. I believe once here, you will be able to go through the process of becoming a citizen yourself. I believe you have to do the process in a certain amount of time or you will have to go home. What I am not sure of, in this instance, is how close of a relative you have to be. Meaning do you need to be the child, parent or sibling of the US Citizen.

As far as a father trying this to bring an adult age child (over 18) to the US, this may be your best choice. As you now know, other ways that will not work may very well knock you out of ever bringing your adult child to the states. With the I-130 you will have to do a DNA test, but an American father would be petitioning to bring your child to the US just like a non-natural born citizen can do. This is also $1,000 or so, which is cheap considering the upwards of $12,000 I spent only to be rejected. With the I-130, the citizen will have to show they can support the family member, but the I-130 will work.

There is a catch for American fathers. Part of the I-130 is the child’s birth certificate. If you never signed it, then it can cause some issues. From what I have read on the I-130, it may even stop you from using the I-130.

I will be back in the Philippines late this month and will meet with a Filipino immigration lawyer so I hope I will have more info on if the I-130 is possible.

Keep checking back here for updates as we get them! If you have any specific questions for Mr. Ramsey, please email us for his contact info. If you are an American father and have been successful with bringing your Amerasian child to the US, we want to hear from you! Please email us contactwarbabies@gmail.com.

15 Jun 2025

Pedigree Collapse and Endogamy

Unless you are a seasoned genealogist, you may have never heard the terms Pedigree Collapse or Endogamy. These terms are used in relation to your family tree.

Upon building your family tree, you double the size of your tree for each generation: you have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 2nd-great grandparents, 32 3rd-great grandparents and so on. When you think about it, that is a whole lot of people to research when you go too far back, especially once you add other children to each set of grandparents.

At WarBabies, we focus within the first 3 generations of you, as seen in the chart to the right. What this means is we primarily focus on who your DNA matches are up to your 2nd cousins. If your closest matches are 3rd cousins, this makes our research timely and more challenging. If your closest DNA matches are 4th cousin or farther out, it makes it darn near impossible to find your close family because of pedigree collapse and endogamy.

In genealogy, pedigree collapse describes how reproduction between two individuals who knowingly or unknowingly share an ancestor (endogamy) causes the family tree of their offspring to be smaller than it would otherwise be.

Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is also the term for when cousins marry cousins, whether it be knowingly or unknown to each party.

Endogamy is common in many cultures and ethnic groups. Several religious and ethnic religious groups are traditionally more endoganous. Endogamy, as distinct from consanguinity (the fact of being descended from the same ancestor), may result in transmission of genetic disorders, the so-called founder effect, within the relatively closed community.

By building a family tree, after reaching a later generations, you may discover several lines that intertwine due to a relationship between cousins or similar family. What this does is “collapse” the pedigree of your tree, shortening it because these lines are duplicated.

You must remember, this was a VERY common practice prior to the 1900’s when our ancestors didn’t have easy modes of transportation and “stuck to their own kind” in their small towns and villages. The dating pool was much smaller and in order to survive, it was acceptable to marry and have children with a cousin, sometimes even with aunts/uncles marrying their nieces/nephews.

In today’s society, this practice is highly looked down upon, and may even be illegal in some states. However, it is still common in many different cultures outside of the United States.

15 Jun 2025

Amerasian Children – Be Counted!!

Why is this important?

Because for the very first time, the 2020 Census Form can be done 100% online and it has a new option to type in “Some other race”. If we can get a uniformed mention of the term Amerasian counted in the 2020 Census, it will show our government that you exist and could eventually help push along the HR 1640 Uniting Families Act!

Please share this with anyone who is of mixed race with an American Father and Asian Mother who was born as a War Baby. It is vital to #BeCounted!

15 Jun 2025

Why do most Amerasian’s not know their actual birth dates?

The short answer:
During the time of the Vietnam War, when a child was born that was half-American, there was fear that the VietCong would kill them and their family. So they would destroy any photos or records they had of anything to do with America. They also didn’t keep birth records similar to what we do in the US. So most children born in Vietnam during that time simply don’t know their actual date of birth and one was made of for them. If they were Amerasian, most chose the birth date of Dec. 31st or Jan. 1st and the approximate year they were born.

There was also a major flood the coast of Vietnam shortly after the end of the war which destroyed many homes and buildings that may have held records of birth.

The long answer:
These children were often looked as being less than human. If you have heard of American’s during the slavery periods treating their slaves as less than human with no human rights, this is comparable to the Amerasian child, who was often called “bụi đời” or “Child of dust” meaning their life value was less than that of dust. So they simply didn’t bother giving them a birth date. Many of these Amerasian babies were killed or left to die in fields or thrown out like trash. If they even survived, many were left on door steps for other Vietnamese families to take care of. If they were loved to some degree, Vietnamese mothers would fear so much for their safety, the would take them to orphanages in hopes of them going to America for a better life. If the relationship between a Vietnamese mother and American Soldier father was of love (yes, some soldiers actually married these women), then the mothers would do whatever they could to keep their children hidden, or take them to a deep jungle area away from the war to spare their lives and keep them safe.

These are actual accounts from some of our clients, even from our own family here at WarBabies.

As Americans, it is quite difficult to understand how an Amerasian made it to America without knowing their actual date of birth or having any records. After all, our own government has the social security number system, hospital records, and a plethora of other ways to keep records. But just imagine that during wartime in an underdeveloped country, most of these mothers had their babies in huts and not hospitals, in the swampy fields, in the jungle, in alley ways, in dirty filthy restrooms if they lived in a larger city. If they abandoned these babies with no note or way of knowing when they were born, how on earth could they know their true vital record information???

As a member of an American family who questions this, please understand that it is near impossible for some of these children to know when their birth occurred. They can only guess or make up a date.

These Amerasian children are now parents and grandparents here in the US. They are reaching their 50’s and have been coming here since the War ended to this new life of American Freedom. They only want to know their truth, they only want to be accepted. They are human and not children of dust.

Additional Articles

Afghanistan isn’t the only war-torn nation whose citizens have chosen Jan. 1 as a makeshift birthday. In V i etnam, Somalia and Sudan, many birth dates weren’t recorded during years of unrest and institutional upheaval. When residents applied for visas or refugee status, thousands chose the first of the year — or, in some cases, the U.S. State Department chose it for them. The department has bestowed that birthday upon more than 200,000 refugees since the Vietnam War, according to several estimates.
Here’s why my parents and a lot of other immigrants have birthdays on January 1
Birthdays as we know it are only really celebrated in the most urban areas of Vietnam, those cities most heavily influenced by Western Culture. Everyone celebrates their birthday on New Year’s Day in Vietnam, also known as “tet.” Vietnamese tradition is that an individual’s actual day of birth is not to be celebrated. Rather, people become a year older every year at tet, regardless of when they were actually born.
Jan. 1 a common birth date for many immigrants

15 Jun 2025

Making Contact

The topic of making contact could mean several scenarios, perhaps you would like to reach out to someone you feel is related to who you are searching for. Or perhaps someone has contacted you claiming they are related to you or that you are the person they are seeking. No matter the situation, things can escalate quickly and can have adverse effects on both individuals and their immediate families.

What we are dealing with is the difference of 2 generations of people and society. You must remember this important fact…. at the time that the child was conceived, life was completely different than it is now. It is a past that some may not want to remember. You must tread carefully.

The articles listed below candidly speak on the subject and offer a poignant perspective of what to do in this situation. Please read them with an open mind and only love in your heart. <3

Dear US Military Veteran
Dear Veteran Wives
Help! I think I found my Amerasian Child!
Help! I think I found my American Father/Family!
Help! Someone contacted me saying we are related and they are Amerasian!

15 Jun 2025