---------- > From: vincent-paez <marie-francoise.vincent-paez@wanadoo.fr> > To: VTCALEDO-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [VTCALEDO-L] I search for my father Richard GRAY. Could you help me ? > Date: Friday, February 05, 1999 2:26 PM > > > I am french. > I have recently learned that I am Franco-American. > My name is Claude Richard and I live in the southern part of France. > > The circumstances surrounding my birth were concealed from me until > recently. > > My father is Richard Gray and this is what I know about him: > >        1. He was in Oran, Algeria, during few months until end November, > 1943 . >        2. He may well have been in the US Army. His provisional camp > was not near the harbor or the airport. >        3. He was almost 6 feet, with light brown hair, and blue eyes. >        4. His military base was situated southeast of Oran, between the > Choupot area and the Cuvelier area (near Cite Petit). A road > separated the base from a big Algerian market hall. >        5. His dress uniform was a khaki jacket made of silky cloth. He had > a cap and wore high shoes and gaiters. > 6. My father was an "MP" (military police). >        7. His friends called him Dick and he had a friend called Mike. >        8. He apparently came back to the States, it seems before the end > of the war. > 9. He was in Oran until around 15 November - beginning December > 1943. > He came back in Oran : he had a few days'leave at the end of > December 1943. > > > Last day I saw my uncle (my mother's brother) and he has remembered that, > in Oran at that time, rolling stock (jeep, truck, motor-driven, etc..except > tank or plane) were unloaded in Oran (Oran harbor or Mers El Kebir harbor) > then conveyed to the camp where was my father in Oran. This rolling stock > were conveyed (by boat) from US in separate pieces. In this camp, there was > a very large shed (named Les Halles) where american soldiers and french > men re-assembled rolling stock. > In my uncle's opinion, they were around 4.000 - 5.000 soldiers in this > camp. My father was MP in this camp. > > I have tried to find my father without success. > The results of my research are condensed below. > In the fall of 1943, an American soldier named Richard Gray, between 19 > and 23, was based at Oran in Algeria. > > There he met a young woman, my mother Lucienne Martin, 17 years old. > They became very fond of each other and planned to be married. Richard > received wedding dress photos from his sister who lived in the U.S. > At the end of 1943 (end november or beginning december) Richard Gray was > transfered to another, unknown to me, place to continue the war. > He should have been informed by mail of my birth, probably in September, > 1944. This story might be common place, but some troubling, complicating > events intervened in this love story. > Richard wrote often to my mother during the war and after he returned to > the US. > He said that he wanted to marry her; he expressed it in his letters. > > Unfortunately, my grandmother intercepted and destroyed all of his > letters. > She did not want this marriage to take place - > it would mean that her daughter and grandson would move to the USA. > > I recently learned in March, 1998, from my mother the circumstances > surrounding my birth. During this 54 year period, my mother thought she > had been deserted, in a cowardly manner, by her fiance . > To be deserted pregnant at a tender age was very difficult. > > I made several inquiries in my family in 1998 and I began to learn several > things from an aunt. > Before her death in 1977, my grandmother confided to my aunt that she had > destroyed all correspondence between them as well as a few papers > belonging to my mother. > While she never knew Richard Gray, the account of my aunt was a good one > and all of her explanations were later verified. > In September, 1998 I finally learned the truth to my mother (the > destroying of letters). > > The burdening facts that she was a deserted woman and an unmarried mother > were out and, at that time, she told me my father's name. The passing > years and the efforts to forget have resulted in fading memories. > > I have created this site, attempting to look for my father. Here I have > placed a photo of my mother at that time. > > I have written lot of emails to Gray Families who have adress email on the > web. > > I continue to use all the opportunities of the internet in my search. > The surname Gray is a very common one in the US. > If Richard Gray can be located, if he wishes, he will be able to contact > me. I only want to know if he is alive, any details of my American family, > and if he has been informed of my search. > > It's VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW the name of his Army. > Is there a veteran who was in Oran during the WWW II and would answer me ? > > Please excuse me for any improprieties. > I would like very much to find him still living > If you have no knowledge of my father, if you could forward this > request to veterans , and ask them to do the same, > > Thank you very much for all your help. > > Yours sincerely, > > Mr. Claude Richard PAEZ > Allee du Vent d'Est - Les Vautes N° 7 > 83320 - Carqueiranne - FRANCE > phone : +33 4 94 58 75 09 > My Story site : http://aa-ienet.com/RICHARD.htm > e-mail : marie-francoise.vincent-paez@wanadoo.fr > > ******************************************************* > Thank you your help. > > > WHAT I HAVE MADE > > I subscribe to lot of veterans web site, missing persons, forums, > genealogics sites, all sites Army, news, shows, etc .. > I or lot of people have inserted my letter to all sites. > Without my father birth date, it's difficult to write from the all > families who have an Richard Gray dead. > I don't have more informations about my father. > > > COULD YOU HELP ME ? > > > Only : I ask you to forward my letter to people you know, and ask them to > do the same, it is possible that this message will eventually reach some > one with knowledge of my father > > I have tried all the solutions, it is the last attempt to find my father > or my Gray family > > ***************************************************************