War
There is nothing good about war. War results in death, poverty, disease, hunger, and separation. No matter who wins the war, the soldiers, their family, and their friends suffer. In some cases, people are able to rebuild and reconnect after the war. Twins George and Lucien can attest to this.
George and Lucien
George and Lucien are Polish twins, but they aren’t your typical set of twins. The two never knew that the other existed. Their mother was pregnant when she was put into a German war camp during World War II. She not only feared for her own life, she feared for the lives of her unborn children. The last thing that she wanted was for them to grow up around death and destruction. In 1945, she was in her second trimester when the war ended. She was a free woman when he gave birth, but due to her time at the camp, she was very weak and sick. Fortunately, her sons survived birth.
Red Cross
After giving birth, the twins were sent to a convent because their mother was too weak to care for them. Not long after they were born, the Red Cross took the boys to Poland where they could be far away from the war’s aftermath. Sadly, they were also taken far away from their mother. The Red Cross began looking for
Lucien Is Drafted, George Leaves Home
Lucien was drafted into the Polish army, and it was then that his mother told him the truth about who he was. Up until then, he had no idea that he was adopted, let alone that his biological family was still alive. When George was 17-years-old, he too learned that he was adopted when he found the adoption papers in his family home. His relationship wasn’t good with his adoptive parents, so he packed up and moved to the United States. He decided to settle down in California.
Lucien Gets Married
After serving his country, Lucien got married and raised a family in Poland. Although he had a happy life, he always felt as though something was missing in his life. He knew that he had a biological family out there, so he wondered if it was possible that his biological family was the reason that he felt so incomplete.
Reaching Out To the Red Cross
Lucien knew that the Red Cross placed him with his family, so he reached out to them, hoping that they had records. He was 69-years-old when he found out that he had a twin brother. When he found out, he says that he couldn’t stop crying.
Separated By War: The Meeting
The brothers connected and on September 14, 2015, they met in Warsaw. When they first met, the two hugged. Both couldn’t believe that they had a twin out there. Finally, Lucien had an explanation for why he always felt so incomplete.
More Answers
The two men wanted some more information about their past, so first they visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which honors those who resisted the Nazis during the war. It was an emotional day, but they wanted to know more. The Red Cross was working hard to find paperwork to tell the two men a bit more about who they were. The Red Cross found hospital documents that proved that their father was a soldier in the United States military who had since passed away. Their mother was an unmarried Catholic woman named Elisabeth Jankowska from Germany. They found out that their mother didn’t mean to give them up. She thought that she would get them back after she recovered, but it was too late. She died six years later.
Brothers
George and Lucien were thrilled that they got the information that they had been searching for their whole lives. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to connect with their parents, but they were thrilled that they had been able to find one another.
A Miracle For Twins
Twins separated by war reunite decades later through a twist of fate, and they both call it a miracle. They are thankful that they were able to reunite after over six decades, but it breaks their hearts that they weren’t raised
