Good NewsFamilyVietnam Veteran Reunites With Long Lost Daughter After 50 Years To Walk...

Vietnam Veteran Reunites With Long Lost Daughter After 50 Years To Walk Her Down The Aisle

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A Vietnam veteran who was forced to leave his baby daughter behind at the end of the Vietnam War said he felt “destiny fulfilled” after she tracked him down more than 50 years later and asked him to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

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Bob Andron, 77, now living in Haverhill, Massachusetts, was legally married to Linda Throng’s mom, Lin, between January 1970 and January 1971, when he lived in Vietnam.

A sergeant with the United States Air Force, Bob was an English specialist and an English language instructor, improving airmen’s use of the language.

But after a year of service, Bob said he was forced to leave and had no way of keeping in contact with Lin, given that he didn’t have her Vietnamese last name when he left for the United States.

For decades, Bob wondered what became of Lin and his child, understanding that it would be up to them to find him if they were ever to meet.

Then, one day in May 2021, Bob received a phone call from a genealogist, Kristee Mays, who specializes in reuniting veterans with lost biological family members.

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Linda, 51, had since moved to the United States via the Philippines, and in searching for Linda’s American father, Kristee had matched Bob’s family name to a birth certificate.

RELATED: Vietnam Veteran Finally Meets Daughter Lost in War’s Aftermath

The pair were later able to meet in person, in a moment that received an outpouring of love on social media when it was shared by Bob’s son, Lee Andron, who captured an emotional video of his dad and Linda’s first embrace.

Over the years that followed, Linda and Bob stayed in touch, with Linda asking Bob if he would walk her down the aisle at her wedding, which took place on December 30, 2023, in Katy, Texas, near where she now lives.

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Bob said he was thrilled to be asked, and the moment provided a feeling of fulfilling his destiny, he added.

Later in the evening, Linda, who had previously introduced her dad to her husband, Phuong, also asked Bob to participate in a father-daughter dance.

RELATED: Chance Meeting Reunites American Adoptee With Biological Family in Vietnam

Bob said: “It was long before the wedding date was set, but we knew Linda and Phuong were made for each other.

“Phuong came with Linda to see us a year & a half ago.

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“Since I had already walked Jennie, her daughter, down the aisle, I was thrilled to be asked to do the same with Linda.

“It was a surreal feeling of a destiny fulfilled for me.”

Linda added: “Thank you to all the Vietnam veterans for your service to this country.

“Also, a special thanks to this country for welcoming us Amerasians with open arms and giving us an opportunity to live the American dream.”

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