Lost and found.....a miracle....

This is the letter I sent to 6 Abelardo Balderramas......

Hello Mr. Balderrama,

I am trying to locate the family of Abelardo Balderrama born 1914 in Arizona. The Abelardo Balderrama I am looking for enlisted in the Army in 1942 and trained as an aerial gunner. He was stationed in Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and in March of 1944 was in Italy.

My parents were friends of Mr. Balderrama in California and while going through old photos and letters of my mother’s I found several letters from Mr. Balderrama and some photos. My mother worked at a café called Pat’s in City Terrace, California and from reading Mr. Balderrama’s letters I think he worked there with my mother.

I would like to see these letters and photos given to his family. I have looked online and you are one of the Balderrama names and addresses I found.

If I have reached you in error, I apologize for the intrusion. If you know the direct relatives of this Abelardo Balderrama, would you please pass my information on to them? If you are a son or grandson of Mr. Balderrama, please contact me so I can give these wonderful letters and photos to you. I have enclosed a copy of one of the photos so Mr. Balderrama can be easily identified.

Thank you,

Rosemary Olsen

momikat@gmail.com

This is the email I received yesterday. I cried when I read it.

Hello Rosemary,

My name is Abe R. Balderrama and Abelardo is indeed my Father (he was also called Abe). I am the oldest of his children....I have a younger brother and sister. The photo you sent used to be in an 8x10 frame that I remember seeing in a relative's home many years ago but cannot be found. I only have one other photo of him in uniform with his crew in front of a B-24 Liberator aircraft.

Dad did work in a cafe in California (dishwasher) before the war. He always wanted to work for a movie studio and be around the Hollywood stars. My Dad passed away in 1993 of congestive heart failure at age 78. He never remarried after my Mother died 12 years earlier but he lived a happy life and had a large extended family in the Phoenix area.

I was very surprised when I received your letter and would love to share any letters and photos with our family. I will gladly reimburse any cost to mail them.

I have several distant relatives in Boise but I'm not familiar with the Sandpoint area. I googled the city and it is quite beautiful.

I would like to hear more about your family if you care to share any information about the early years.

Thank you for contacting me.

Abe Balderrama

I responded to this email....at length....the Balderrama family photos and letters will be in the mail next week. Thank you to everyone for the all of the links you sent to me.