@Snoangel26 I’m terribly sorry that you’re having to live with such uncertainty. Something seems strange to me that your immediate family seems to be against you searching for your father. Have you asked your aunt (on your father’s side, right?) if his family ever looked for him and why not, if they didn’t? And, if it were me, I’d ask her why your relatives don’t seem supportive of your search. She might have something interesting to say about their feelings on his being MIA for so long. There might be a nugget of useful information to glean. Also, does your aunt have any children or, better yet, grandchildren? Or perhaps she has an old friend (or former friend) who might be more sympathetic to your plight? I find that when there’s been some sort of bad blood between people, the older generation that was directly involved will very rarely give up a grudge, but younger generations are able to see things more clearly and empathetically. If there are younger family members to ask if they had ever heard the name Steve mentioned or snippets of conversations that they felt adults had not wanted them to hear, as children, it could be a good place to pick up clues. Also,family friends or acquaintances usually pick up a lot of gossip when things happen, too, but their attitudes usually soften over time. Also, not to cast aspersions, but to eliminate a question that must be asked, has anyone looked into your great-uncle’s account of your father telling him that he would be fine and then seeming to vanish? As the last person to definitively have seen him alive, unfortunately, he and his account of his last conversation with Steve need to be scrutinized, as best they can be at this late date. The uncle needs to be eliminated as a suspect in any possible wrong-doing leading to the disappearance. If he can’t be, I’d be asking lots of questions and looking closer at people who knew Steven back in 1976, at least until the military records come through. Finally, I’m wondering how the last known date of anyone’s interaction with your father was set as 1976? How are the people who related this date to you certain of the year? Thanks for any information you can provide. It’s my sincere hope that you get some answers soon.
To all the seasoned members of this forum, I apologize if I’ve blundered in the questions I’ve asked or the length of my post. I found this website today, read this thread and became completely engrossed. These are the burning questions that came to my newbie’s mind. Thanks for your patience!
. And why did no one file a missing persons report a long time ago??
