Both Richard and Glen were discharged from the Navy in the early 1970s and returned to civilian life. As many friends do, they continued to write one another and occasionally talk on the phone, but eventually the more than 2,300 miles of geographical separation ended their close friendship.
Richard went on to marry Terri Beaty in April of 1975. The young couple soon had a son of their own to add to their family of four. Terri had two sons from a previous marriage, James and Chad. Richard, remembering his great friend Glen Allen, decided to give his first biological son his best friend's name, Chance Glen Evans.
With the Internet boom in the late 1990s, the world seemingly shrank. Story after story aired on popular television programs of long lost family members and friends finding one another by using this new wonderful technology.
In 2002, Glen decided to post his contact information to the Korean War Project website in hopes that some day his old friend would find it. After posting, he waited eagerly to see if by some chance the Internet would prove to be useful in locating his buddy. Days, weeks, months, and then years passed. Nothing. There's one thing about the Internet. It has patience and hope when we lose ours.
For Richard, the Internet was a great tool for reading about things that were special to him, his time in the Navy. It allowed him to take many trips down memory lane. Reminiscing about old times, Richard wondered what happened to Glen. He wondered if Glen had thought about him over the years. In 2006, Richard happened upon the Korean War Project website, and upon something surprising. He discovered a post nearly fours years old from his close friend from the Navy. A youthful excitement rushed over Richard as he quickly jotted down Glen’s phone number and address.
Over the next several days, Richard called the number listed, but never got an answer. Not knowing if he was even calling the right number, he began looking for other people in the vicinity with the last name of Allen. He called half a dozen Allens but landed no solid leads. A little discouraged, he left a message on someone's answering machine, and went about his daily activities.
In a far corner of the country, another story was playing out. Richard's message was left with a close friend of Glen's sister, who passed the word on to Glen. When Glen received the unexpected news that his buddy was trying to contact him, he was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.
In the Fall of 2006, Glen made contact with Richard. It was the first time the two had spoken in many years! Persistence, patience, and modern technology had paid off. For the next two years, they would spend hours on the phone catching up and e-mailing pictures of their families back and forth.
In July of 2008, they decided it was time to make plans for a face-to-face reunion. The meeting was set for Colorado Springs, Colorado, and would take place in July of 2009. As part of a long-haul motorcycle ride, Glen would travel from Washington, and Richard and Terri from Arkansas. The distance is roughly halfway.
On July 29, 2009, Richard Evans and Glen Allen met for the first time in almost 40 years on the streets of Colorado Springs. It was an emotion-packed moment that brought tears of joy to all who witnessed it, even to the two former Navy men. They spent the next few days catching up on old times, looking at pictures, and getting to know each other again. Richard and Glen continue to e-mail, text message, and talk on the phone regularly. They have vowed to stay in touch, and are already looking forward to visiting one another again soon.
