Father and son meet for the first time

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) - A magical reunion happened this week at a Bastrop horse farm, where Vietnam veteran Mike Gold is getting to know the son he wasn't sure he ever had -- a son born 47 years ago while Mike was overseas.

Just before shipping out for Southeast Asia, Gold received a Dear John letter, and told by his fiancee he might be the father of her baby, a child she intended to give up for adoption.

"Always in the back of my mind, was there really a child?" he said Thursday after finally meeting his now-grown son. "I  tried numerous times to find out and nothing came of it."

The event that would bring the two together occurred two weeks ago. Thanks to the Internet, Jerry Glomboske found dad. He was nervous about emailing.

"I said give it a try, see what happens," said Glomboske, who lives in California. "The next day I woke up and had an email from him.

Then both men saw photos of each other. That erased any doubt either may have had over whether they were related. Same build, same jaw, same nose, same southbound hairline.

"I looked at it and started laughing," Gold said. "I turned to my wife and said, 'You've got to look at this picture.'"

Glomboske added: "I showed my wife and daughter and they started laughing, telling me it had to be my dad, I look just like him."

And they have more in common. Both men spent several years in the military and then in law enforcement.

And there's more.

Mike was born on April 27, 1947. Jerry was born on April 27, 1967. The same date, exactly 20 years apart.

Gold and his wife will fly to California in April to celebrate the mutual birthdays -- and another reunion of sorts.

You've got three grandkids to meet," Glomboske told Gold.

Gold replied, "That's really something. Not only do I have a son, now I'm a grandfather. Makes you feel a little older, haha.  ... This is the greatest Christmas I've ever had."

"Absolutely, it's been great, fantastic," his son agreed.