45 Years - Where Is My Son

By Leonard Berg

This book tells the true but sad story of how I lost my son and later found him after 45 years. The story has so many unfortunate events that have devastated lives and families. I will take you to the beginning of a true love, to the lost and the sad ending of that love, with 2 main people being lie too, forced to give up a child and the search that both parents went through to find that child. The mother and I have collaborated on most items in this book. All statements are backed up with her living the life she lived, our life together along with documents or legal papers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483661216

Leonard Berg

My life was so normal until Dec 6, 2011 when my life started to change in a major way. I always felt I have done the right things for my wife, kids and grandkids. Never did I know that my flesh and blood was taken from me and given to someone else to raise. How dare they think they could steal my child from me and think I would just accept what they did? They don’t know me very well. As a retired military veteran, current recording artist, with 11 CD’s on Amazon and iTunes and with over 300 songs that I have written; I have done many things with my life. I am a current member of the CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. This is my story…. Leonard Berg

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Leonard Allen Berg.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 06/27/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

134900

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 The sweet life of farming

Chapter 2 Finding that true love

Chapter 3 The sweet angel was found

Chapter 4 The loss of my son and the Cover up

Chapter 5 Her love for me was still Burning

Chapter 6 Getting on with my Life

Chapter 7 A new family growing

Chapter 8 The many things I’ve done with my life

Chapter 9 My passion for flying

Chapter 10 My years in the military 34 year vet

Chapter 11 45 years later I find my son

Chapter 12 The first meeting of Robby Lee with mom and dad

Chapter 13 Some of the humorist and odd things in my life

Chapter 14 The continued search for answers

Chapter 15 Will there be an end

Acknowledgements

The following people helped immensely in the preparation of details for the format of this book and collection of documents, records along with signed statements. Those involved were my wife Mary Berg, my daughter Christine Comstock, a very good friend Julie Leekley and my good friend now Jennifer Bennett. Some others that encouraged me to write this book; that I told this story to, were friends, family and some politicians. I thank God for bringing Jennifer and I back together with his blessing.

God Bless This Book.

Introduction

This is a true story of my life as I lived it; without me knowing I had a son for 45 years that the state of Iowa, the adoption agency, and the mother’s father had taken from me. Just try to imagine the son or daughter that you have now and not seeing them for 45 years!!! My life stories that I tell, will explain how I grew to be the person I am today, and was back then, a very responsible adult. You will see that there was always plenty of room in our lives along with all the love that he would need from my wife and me. As you read this story of my life you need to know that I have a very good memory and if I lived it, I have a good memory of what happened. Jennifer and I had the best of intentions of getting married and to raising a family. Unfortunately you will see they gave my son to someone else to raise, which I never knew about this child. For 45 years my son was being raised by adopted parents who wanted a Swedish child which turned out to be my son. The mother of my child; Robby Lee Bennett, was forced by her dad, the adoption agency, and the state of Iowa to give up our child for adoption. You’ll see where everyone else had legal representation but not Jennifer or I. Jennifer was threatened, to include hurting me and our baby if she ever told me she was pregnant by her dad. The mother Jennifer Bennett did not want to give up our child no matter what. But since she was 16 years old when she got pregnant and turned 17 when she had the child; she was forced to sign the papers to relinquish her rights of our baby to the adoption agency which was the Florence Crittenton Home of Sioux City, Iowa. They tried to get me to sign off my rights when they came to my high school but I never did, even under threats by the Florence Crittenton Home and the courts of Iowa. As Jennifer and I tell our stories and I show how I would have been a very responsible parent; you will see there was never a need to take my son from me. The biggest factor in all of this is no one would tell me that I had a son to include the mother, her father, her mother, her siblings, the adoption agency, the DHS of Iowa and some others that knew I was the father. At the time of Robby’s birth all these people knew without a doubt that I was the father. After 45 years there are so many things that are so foggy to those that were involved or they choose not to remember. I think it is the latter. When I was told about my son it didn’t take me long to remember a lot of things.

This is the poem Jennifer wrote for our son right after she left our son at the unwed mother’s home.

Written around May of 1967—by Jennifer Bennett—the Mother to our son Robby Lee Bennett

BROKEN HEART (Poem)

At birth we were together

Soon we would be apart

Oh, how i hated it

Pain was tugging at my heart

I could see you through the window

In a nursery full of tears

Babies were crying

Because their mother’s weren’t near

I remember crying

When they said No, you can’t hold him

But I went back one night

And a girl said "Yes, you can hold him

I held you oh so tight

I looked at your toes

And your little fingers

Knowing how I would miss you so

My kiss was planted on your head

The first and only one

I rocked you until I had to go

My heart weighed like a ton

I wanted to take you home

But I knew I couldn’t do it

You needed a better life

Something I couldn’t give you

I hope someday I can explain

And you will understand

I pray to God you had a good life

And had good parents to hold your little hand

I love you now

I loved you then

I’ll love you all the time

Even though we are miles apart

Does this look like a mother who wanted to give up her son; I think not; and I know she didn’t want to give him up. Given a chance the 3 of us could have made a happy home.

As I tell my story and show how wrong things were, please refer back to this poem of a mother that was forced to give up her child. At the time when this happened, I was 18 years old, had a steady job, the willingness to work hard to support a child and family. But this was not going to happen (because I did not know) so I enlisted in the Army Reserves and in June headed for boot camp at Fayetteville North Carolina. May 15, 1967 I graduated from high school while my son was born on May 10th of that same year. If someone would’ve allowed Jennifer to tell me she was pregnant at the time of her pregnancy, I would have made different plans for our future. As you will see, the cover-up, the hiding of my wife to be, putting her in the unwed mother’s home, made it very difficult for me to find out about this child or for the mother to tell me. As I tell my story you’ll see how this is very hard for me to understand that such evil could exist, and how they could legally take someone precious from my life. This in a sense is like a legal abduction of a child in a shopping mall and giving this child to someone else to raise. The worst part of this whole appalling situation is that I never knew that my own flesh and blood was taken from me by people that are paid by my taxes to protect my child along with the family of that child. I will explain how I grew up, how my life continued on, how the mother and my child missed out on being part of my family and my life. I will show how I had a wonderful life and that I am very thankful for what God gave me and what I have.

As you read this story of my life you will see my son (Robby Lee Bennett); who is 45 years old now, is so much like me. He looks just like me, he does a lot of the same things that I liked to do; for instance, he’s a pilot, he likes painting, golf, women, music, reading, and traveling. No I can’t change the past history; but I can try to get closure on this madness that was given to me because of my love for a woman, that I had made plans on being my wife. In this book I try to tell it like it is and I don’t hold back. If anyone including the various agencies involved wants to dispute my claims; please bring it on. There are so many people that I tell this story to that say I have the makings for a major civil law suit to include a former DHS worker. I have a good life and I am well off. The reason I am writing this is to try and get some answers. And maybe it might help someone else reading my stories, There are times that I may repeat myself but I do it to drive home a point of how anyone stealing a person’s son is so wrong in so many ways. I can only hope the ones that were involved in this madness may rot in hell. I feel this book has helped me come to some closure to the many wrongs that were done to me. Who do they think they are to think they have a right to steal my son? My son should have never been born out of wed lock.

As you read this book we do have in our possession documents, statements and court records that show the dirty cover up in this tragedy that was bestowed on Jennifer and me. As we contacted different agencies, courts, and legislative branches we were sent copies of documents by different people that were anonymous that must think that this was also a tragedy. We don’t know who they are but if they read this, we want to thank them for their help.

Below is one of many documents that we have in our possession.

1.jpg

The above document is the same papers they wanted me to sign when they came to my school at Riverside High, but I did not sign them and I did tell the people from the Florence Critten Home if anyone knew for sure that I was the father I would take care of my Son. We know they all knew I was the father of Robby Lee Bennett but selling my son was more important to them then giving me the chance to raise my son. They out and out lied to me and I will try to explain the facts as I know them in the story of this book. In Iowa; for an adoption to go through, the father does have to sign off his rights just like the mother, or they lie and say you are an unknown father which I never was an unknown father. Everyone knew I was the father to including the adoptive parents.

Chapter 1

The sweet life of farming

The sun was bright that Midsummer Day and the warmth of the sun rays on the new grass made for a warm soft bed for me to lie on. The rays felt so warm, as I was thinking about all the new things that would be in the future of my life. I was very young, but I still had a very good imagination. I always watched my mom and dad and how happy they were most of the time. As I lay there I would think about when I would grow up, who I would marry and what she would be like. I knew she had to be very pretty and that she had to like the same things that I did. So many times I would fantasize about her and me in our farm house where we would be happy with our own farm animals. It was important to me that the girl I married would feel warm towards me and like to take care of the farm house. I don’t think I thought much about kids because I was still one. There were several girls in my class that were pretty and I secretly wondered if they might be the ones that I would marry. I now know that this was only puppy love but I knew my mom and dad were happy and I wanted the same when I grew up.

Before we moved to the 40 acre farm we lived on a small acreage close to Sioux City, IA. When I was about 4 years old there was this one time I remember the moon was coming up on this hill and it looked so big and so close to me. I thought I should be able to go over and touch the moon. I remember walking to the top of this hill and the moon had moved to the next hill but it still looked like I should be able to touch the moon. Now it looked bigger and even closer. So I walked over to the next hill and the moon was not there. I walked over to the next hill and the moon was not there either and now it was getting dark. The moon now was high enough now I could see it was not close to me anymore. Soon I realized I could not see my house and I was not sure where I was. I walked around for a little bit and then I heard dad’s voice calling me. I answered back and he found me. Boy was I in trouble. I had really scared dad and he went on to explain the problem with me trying to touch the moon. I never tried that again. Well that didn’t mean I didn’t do other stupid things. For instance when my family and I were downtown shopping; we were waiting for the light at an intersection to turn and I decided to race my brother across the street to the other side. I took off and I remember the screaming of brakes from an automobile and looking down to see a bumper of a car right next to my body. Good thing the guy driving the car was alert to stupid kids. This was another time I got in trouble, not sure if I got spanked but I should have. All I know mom and dad were really upset with me.

There was another time I was in kindergarten and this little girl had me go with her and sit with her mom or dad in their car and eat lunch with her at our school. I can’t remember if she had a crush on me or I had a crush on her. All I know there was a free meal in it for me. My older brother would get mad at me because I would eat my lunch on the way to school on the bus. He didn’t know I had a girl friend that was giving me a free meal at school. This went on for quite a while and then my older brother told on me to my mom and dad. Yes I was in trouble again but I didn’t think I did anything wrong. I think this little girl would try to kiss me on the play ground but I was too shy for that.

This was the mid 50’s and the life on our farm was always busy and not much time to stop to think about anything else but chores, crops or feeding the animals. When we first moved on the farm, our first barn was a log cabin barn that was slowly falling down. Our landlord did not like to spend his rent money on repairs for our house so we did without things like running water, indoor plumbing, and insulated walls.

image%201%20chapter%201.jpg

My brother Axel and I would cut wood for heat in the winter and our farm house was very drafty. I remember waking up in the winter mornings and hoping dad would get up and get the fire going in the wood burning stove. Dad always got up would get the fire going and then mom would get up to start breakfast. During the winter I would put my clothes in my bed with my brothers so they were warm when I had to put them on. I would go out and get started on my chores for the animals and pick eggs for breakfast. The reason the eggs never froze, the hens would sit on the eggs until we picked them out from under them. I would get the milking done in the morning so we would have milk for our morning breakfast which included oatmeal with toast and sometimes fried eggs. Winter months were the hardest to get through because of running out of food at times. My mother never did do any canning of our apple and berry trees. One time right after a major blizzard we ran out of food. Our dad had my brother and I go to Duffy’s gas station which was 2 miles away over hills and rough terrain. My brother Axel and I took a sled with money that dad gave us to go and get groceries from Duffy’s gas station. It took my brother and me a long time to get the groceries but we did it. Due to the weather conditions, Dad could not get his car out for several days. That is why we had to use a sled to get the groceries from Duffy’s.

There were always so many fun things to do on our farm along with the work that needed to be done on a daily routine. My dad worked at the Iowa Foundry during the day and then during the evening hours, Dad was always there to help us with the chores. I remember at times while milking the cows thinking about that young lady that would be there with me to help separate the milk into cream for sale at the market and picking the eggs from the chicken coop for our breakfast. She would be singing a song like my mother did as she made our breakfast. My mother would always sing the song what a friend we have in Jesus. Before I went to school I had to get my chores done, then eat breakfast and then change clothes for school.

Then there was the time when I became the hero of the day. We had a cow that was giving birth to a calf and the cow was having a hard time getting the calf to come out. I remember Dad calling the vet, and the vet came out and tried several things but he could not get the birth of the calf started. The vet said the head of the calf had turned inside of the cow and was not lying on the front legs of the calf as it should be. When the calf is born, it comes out front legs first with the head lying on its front legs. I remember the vet saying someone with small arms would have to reach inside of the cow and pull the head of the calf forward. If this was not done the cow and the calf would both die. I kept thinking it sure sucks being my older brother because I was sure he would be the one stuck with the task of repositioning the calf’s head. I keep puffing up my arms to make my arms look too big to go inside of the cow. Then the vet looked at me and said I would be the best person to go inside the cow and reposition the head of the calf. At first I thought this was a mistake. I told them that Axel would do a better job than me. Needless to say that did not work. Even after all my whining and crying, I had to do it. I remember my dad saying Leonard you have a chance to save the life of the cow and the calf. I’m sure there were small bribes involved to get me to do this nasty job. But when it came time I reached up inside of the cow found the Calf’s head. I pulled the head forward and I remember the calf’s teeth cutting my fingers as I pulled the calf’s head forward. The vet had me help pull the calf out because the cow was getting very weak and tired. Once the calf started to come out it flopped to the ground. It laid there for about two hours then started to get up. The calf went over to the mother cow and started to drink the milk. I remember the praise I got from my dad for saving the cow and calf’s life. My dad would always remind me as the calf grew up that I was the one that saved his life. Even after this entire unpleasant event I was still very interested in pretty girls.

There are the times when strange things can happen on a farm. One night a mother sow was giving birth to newborn piglets. My dad and I were in the barn helping the sow give birth to the newborn piglets. I was holding the flashlight on that cold winter night as I watched my dad deliver dead piglets. I remember my dad going over to the barn window and opening it up where outside there was a manure pile from cleaning the barn. As the piglets were born I remember watching my dad throw the dead piglets out of the barn window onto the manure pile. As the last piglets were born and dad tossed them out the window I told dad I thought I heard something outside of the barn. My dad tried to tell me there was nothing out there. Then noise got louder and we heard the sound of little piglets squealing outside of the barn. We went out of the barn and there in the pen were most of the piglets running around outside by the manure pile. Now this