Bruce Hollywood, a Colonel in the United State Air Force, was adopted by an American couple in 1960. Until his heart attack in 2005, he never thought much about his birth parents, but his near-death experience sparked a pang of regret that he had never pursued any information about his roots. After recovery, he made steps to change that. His adoptive mother had given Hollywood the name of his birth mother before her death and encouraged him to contact her. Hollywood’s search began at the American Embassy in Tokyo and, after no luck, he hired a private investigator, also to no avail.

A few months later, after he’d given up, Hollywood was sitting at a wine bar in Dulles airport and started swapping stories with another military man, Admiral Harry Harris--who told him he could help him find his birth mother. 10 days later, he was on the phone with her--a day before her birthday, giving her the gift she had always wished for, a reunion with her son. 10 days after that, Bruce Hollywood flew to Shizuoka, Japan to meet Nobue Ouchi, and see the restaurant and bar she ran—which she had named after him. They spent three years visiting each other frequently until her death. She learned some English. He learned some Japanese. She taught him about his heritage. And it changed his life. 

Source: The Washington Post