Friday, April 3, 2009

Asking the bloggy world for help

My sister asked me to reach out to my blogging friends to spread this story. Cheyne is her brother and is trying everything to bring his family together. For those that are confused, she is my half sister.
Please go to the link http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/42344922.html and comment so that this story gets lots of attention.

A soldier and Texas A&M Grad is fighting to bring his family to the U.S.

Capt. Cheyne Parham, has been a dad for about eight months, but in that time he's only gotten to hold his wife and children once. That's because he says the American Consulate won't issue his family passports, and visas to enter the U.S. Now one local family is taking on the government to be together.
Bill Parham, has seen his fair share of legal dilemmas. The Washington County District attorney has prosecuted countless criminal cases, but it's his son's case that right now has left him baffled.

"This is a picture of Cheyne and Joy taken right before Christmas," Parham says looking at a picture.

It started out as a typical love story....

"Cheyne was in Korea on his first tour of duty. He and Mary Joy, they fell in love, got engaged in December of 2007," Parham said. The couple became pregnant in January of '08, they married in April, and welcomed two new additions to the family a couple months later. "The babies were born premature by six weeks in August, August 28--twin granddaughters. Mary Elise, and Erica Joy," Parham said.

This is when the story takes a bizarre twist. Parham's son, Captain Cheyne Parham, has since be re-stationed in Ft. Knox, his wife and daughters forced to stay behind in the Philippines.

"They went for their first interview on getting my granddaughters American Citizenship and passports, and they were denied," Parham said.

Denied because the American consulate said it isn't sure the kids are Cheyne's. "You can totally see the resemblance," Parham said looking at a picture. To the Parham family, the proof is in the pictures.

"The foreheads are the same, the eyes, the nose, mouth, and especially the chin," Parham said.

In a side by side comparison of Parham's other granddaughter Jordan, and Cheyne's twins he says the resemblance is uncanny.

The family produced birth certificates, marriage licenses, insurance forms, and a court ruling saying the kids are Cheyne's, but still no luck.

"By law these are his kids, that's every state in the country, why is the State Department not following its own laws," Parham questioned.

According to documents between the Parham's and the State Department, -the government is now wanting Cheyne to take a DNA test.

"There's no refusal to take the DNA, the question is it's going to take six to eight months to get the results, and the very same people who are now requiring it, will be taking the sample," Parham said.

But with the possibility of Cheyne being shipped off to Iraq within the next five months...time is critical.

"Like any other soldier, he wants to be around his kids as much as he can before he gets in harms way," Parham said.

For now Bill Parham has seen his granddaughters only in pictures but hopes this emotional journey will end with both of them in his arms.

"We just can't wait to get them all here," Parham said.

Officials with the Department of State say the burden of proof, always rests with applicants. They say they make that clear when individuals apply. They add that in certain cases they can ask for more documentation and medical reports.

The Parham's however, say they have proven Cheyne is the twins biological father. The family says this is a battle they don't plan to give up on, even if it means taking their case to federal court.

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