After 44 years, British GI baby finds U.S. roots

Watching war movies used to tear at the heart of Patrick Hiles.

As he saw American heroes defeat enemy troops in one ofHollywood's many recasts of the Second World War during his childhoodin Warndon, England, Patrick pondered the whereabouts of his GIfather, who left Britain for the United States in 1948 with promisesto send for him and his mother, Nancy.

"All I had was a drawing of my dad, which was done in France,"said Patrick. "I never knew of him other than the drawing. I used tolook at it and think: `I wonder, are you dead?' "

Patrick's parents married in 1945 at St. George's CatholicChurch in Worcester, just before the end of World War II. …