FULTON, Mo. (AP) - After six decades of separation, two brothers’ journeys for their biological families ended this week.
After they were placed for adoption 60 years ago from his birthplace in Bad Hersfeld, Germany, Fulton’s Bob Olson met his biological brother, Steve Radliff of San Antonio, at Lambert Airport Monday morning in St. Louis. The brothers returned to Olson’s Fulton home to spend the week making up for lost time - just in time for Olson’s 66th birthday.
“It’s strange, when we met at airport it’s like we knew each other the whole time and we just started into a normal conversation,” Olson said.
Radliff piped in: “It’s been very comfortable.”
Olson (born Robert Riegelmann) was 6 and Radliff (Stefan Riegelmann) was 2 when they were placed for adoption through a Catholic orphanage when their mother, Elfriede Riegelmann, remarried in 1954. But for most of their adult lives, Olson and Radliff unknowingly searched for one another, both making trips to Germany in an attempt to find some trace of their roots, The Fulton Sun reported (https://bit.ly/1hGaFVA ).
The brothers were both adopted by separate U.S. Air Force families who were stationed in England at the time. Olson grew up in Florida and Colorado, where he graduated high school before enlisting in the Army.
Being 6 at the time of his adoption, Olson said he had vague memories of his biological family and was drawn to learn more. After he did a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, Olson was stationed in his native Germany, where he picked up his search for his family.
“I’ve always had the curiosity of trying to find relatives,” Olson said. “When we were adopted, I always wanted to know if anyone was still there. I went over there in the ’70s trying to look, and I always got negative responses.
“You have to remember this was shortly after the war and people would just not socialize or tell you anything, no matter what, because all the (adoption) records were sealed over a period of time. They told me all the relatives were dead and everyone said ’You have a half-brother,’ period. So after that, I just let it go.”
Olson made another return to Germany a decade later and still found his trip unsuccessful. About 20 years later, however, Radliff’s picked up steam.
Radliff himself had been drafted into Vietnam - as an airman, from ’71 to ’73 - and soon thereafter began looking for his family. He said his big break didn’t come until around 2000, when he managed to find his aunt, Ruth Riegelmann, after searching for his family name.
“I didn’t even know there was any information at all available,” Radliff said. “Had it not been for running into Ruth Riegelmann, who was the only one with the last name I could identify, I found out she was an aunt. She’d been divorced from my uncle, he had no interest in contacting me. I had a half-brother who had information, who did not want to see me but was willing to give it to Ruth to give it to me. I had it transcribed to start it there.”
Both brothers learned their mother was an alcoholic who dated a number of soldiers, and was described as neglectful and seldom present. Of their siblings and half-siblings - Olson estimates there were as many as 11 - three died of unknown but “questionable” circumstances that involved the state.
“The inflection of it along that line was starvation or abuse,” Radliff said, with his brother saying he thinks the state required her to put the children up for adoption. “We were fortunate we were adopted out, otherwise we’d be hoeing sugar beets in a field somewhere in Germany.”
Elfriede Riegelmann died in the early 1960s. Olson and Radliff believe they likely had the same biological father, an American Army sergeant whose name and current whereabouts they do not know, but Olson admits it is conjecture.
“I think it worked out better for us this way, because we made something out of ourselves,” Olson said. “Because we took initiative for ourselves.”
With the help of his aunt, Radliff was able to learn he had a brother born April 8, 1948, and posted on Ancestry.com asking for help. Olson’s son’s girlfriend managed to find the post about six weeks ago, and the brothers have been in contact ever since. After a number of emails and phone calls, Olson and Radliff agreed it was at long last time to meet.
“I hippity-hopped on a plane, we met (Monday) morning and it’s been great,” Radliff said. “It was fun, (Olson’s wife) Tammy spotted me first I think, she said that’s him! I saw them running in my direction so, it was no illusion, we’re about to meet, it’s all good fun.”
Though they spent their entire lives apart, Olson and Radliff found they had remarkable similarities in their lives. In addition to their Vietnam service, both said they also enjoy sports and keeping in shape.
“I think it’s interesting that the only thing we had in the beginning was a genetic link, but it seems that the genetics drove us to very similar paths.” Radliff said. “Being immediately comfortable is pretty unique. We’re truly strangers bonded only by genetic history, but yet we’re very similar so life is good that way.”
Radliff will stay with Olson until Thursday. For Olson’s birthday Tuesday, Radliff said the brothers planned to enjoy a “large food debauchery,” but otherwise Olson has no major plans other than to bond with his brother for the first time in 60 years. Olson said future will likely include trips to San Antonio to visit his brother and his wife - and possibly more searching for his heritage, but only if time allows.
“It’s like, how do you talk to someone you haven’t really known most of your life? But other than that it’s just like we’ve known each other all our lives,” Olson said. “I think that journey and search is still going to keep going on, but to this point I’m satisfied.”
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Information from: The Fulton Sun, https://www.fultonsun.com
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