After 33 years, roots

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kerry Solan
  • 435th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Two phone calls, two people, two completely different outcomes.
Staff Sgt. Timothy Westerlund, Ramstein Area Defense Counsel paralegal, said he expected it.
His attempt to reach through language, countries, and time, (more than 30 years) led him here, to Germany, to find his German biological parents.
"I went between wanting to find them and not wanting to find them for a long time," said Sergeant Westerlund.
For Sergeant Westerlund, it was a shock to find out he was adopted: the oldest son of (Ret.) AF Lt. Col. Ned and Brigitte Westerlund, he combed his sandy-brown hair the same way his father combed his own and was hard-headed and stubborn just like his mother.
"When they told me, all I could say was, 'No way.'" I didn't believe it at first, but after looking at my birth certificate and my naturalization papers, doubt became reality."
Sergeant Westerlund's desire to find his roots was always with him - more so after he joined the Air Force, a move he believed was an opportunity to find his biological parents.
Meeting his wife, Brandy, while stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., "...was both a blessing and pivotal in the decision to find them," he said.
"She stood behind me the whole time," said Sergeant Westerlund. "Brandy never pushed too hard, she always gently encouraged me."
After being taken off of a profile that left him world-wide and mobility disqualified, an assignment to Osan Air Base, Korea, came open. Knowing that a follow-on was to come, Ramstein was his first choice -- it was his shot to find his parents. But, he said he wasn't sure if he wanted to take the step to begin searching.
"I was trying to imagine the way the conversation would go: 'Hi, I am the son you gave up for adoption 33 years ago...'"
Sergeant Westerlund already knew the circumstances surrounding his adoption; his biological mother was only 17 or 18 when she became pregnant by Walter Meier, a German soldier. But the mother's father refused to let her keep the baby, saying she was too young. Walter didn't have the time to care for a baby. Adoption was the answer.
Mrs. Westerlund, married for 2 years to then Army Warrant Officer and Vietnam veteran Ned Westerlund, was a nurse at a Kinderklinik located in Nuremberg, Germany, where Tim's biological mother delivered. That is when Mrs. Westerlund knew about the newborn.
The adoption began in Tim's first months and was finalized when he was about 2 years old.
Before beginning his search, he thought long and hard about the family that raised him. He asked himself if they would they be mad or encourage him to go forth with it? Armed with the names of his biological parents on an adoption certificate, his wife's encouragement, his parent's blessing and German national (Frau Heide Schmitt, who previously worked with Sergeant Westerlund) gave him the push he needed to get his search started.
The first step was to write to the city hall in Nuremberg to see if they would give him known addresses. Trying it this way was a shot in the dark because the question remained if the German government would release that information. After three months, Sergeant Westerlund received a response from Nuremberg's city hall, which included names and addresses of his biological mother and father.
"I was nervous - would they say 'I've been looking for you for years' or 'Forget it'?" he said. "What would my mom and dad back in the United States, the ones that adopted and raised me, say about this attempt?
"It was hard to find it within myself to say, 'OK, I'm going to do this.'"
Frau Schmitt worked her magic, called her sources and nailed down the phone numbers. She even offered to make the two pivotal phone calls.
First, his mom. "After saying she didn't want anything to do with me, she hung up," he said. "It discouraged me in trying to reach my dad." But, Frau Schmitt persisted, and they called Sergeant Westerlund's father.
"I was surprised when Frau Schmitt called me and told me someone was looking for me," said Herr Meier. "I had an immediate feeling that it was about (Tim). My family talked about it often ... that one day a young man would be standing in front of me telling me that he is my son."
Herr Meier is a tour bus driver and has been for more than 30 years. As fate would have it, he was currently resting in Saarbrücken after completing one of those tours. Walter and Tim immediately made plans to meet in Landstuhl.
Herr Meier said he was apprehensive about meeting his son - wondering whether Tim would be angry, or have questions he couldn't answer, as he had no information or influence regarding the adoption.
Sergeant Westerlund was hopeful about the meeting. He brought with him his family - his wife, Brandy, and his two children, Austin and Makenzy.
"He said he thought of me often, but didn't have the time nor the capabilities to look; he didn't even know if I knew he existed," said Sergeant Westerlund.
Herr Meier said the meeting was everything he hoped it would be. They had lunch and chatted for a few hours.
"I was lucky and very happy (when I first saw Tim)," said Herr Meier. "Naturally, I looked right at him and thought to myself, 'He looks just like his mother.' I saw his son, Austin, and right way I could see myself in him."
The two have kept in touch and have plans to meet again.
Sergeant Westerlund says he's thankful for his wife, Brandy, his adoptive family, and Frau Heide Schmitt for making this a reality. One day, he said, he'll try again to call his mother. "I understand her reaction, though. I just want to give her some time," he said. "I am blessed that one parent out of two would even give it a chance. Maybe one day it will be both."