Duane and Peggy
Someone asked me the other day why I wanted to be a journalist and I said, "To help people." Our community needs answers and often times being a reporter, I can get those answers much quicker. I have to say I didn't know when I first met 91 year old Duane Mann I would get him his long-awaited answer in 8 DAYS. The Korean War Vet was searching for answers for 70 YEARS before he met me.
Nikki Hutchinson Davis (whom I met a few years earlier in Woodbine, Iowa on a different story) shared with me Duane's heart-wrenching Facebook post, asking for help to find his lost love he met in Japan during the Korean War. With my soft spot for veterans, I knew I had to help Duane. I interviewed him. We cried. He shared his agony over the guilt he felt for "abandoning' his first love Peggy Yamaguchi.
In June of 2022, the world met Duane through my report. This is the first story I reported with Duane on his pain-staking search for Peggy. Little did we know, she was so close. The story went viral. I received dozens of tips from all over the world. Duane thought she married someone from Wisconsin. I called numerous assisted living homes, nursing homes, Wisconsin aging organizations. I heard from Japanese media outlets. The base where Duane was stationed invited me for a visit in Japan! His story was universal! We all have felt regret, guilt and love in our lives. His quest was something that took hold of us and people rallied around Duane to help him ease his broken heart and aching head.
A young woman in Canada, Theresa Wong, saw my original report with Duane and she told me she just couldn't sleep thinking about how to find Peggy. Being a historian, she searched old newspaper articles and there she was in the Upper Penisula. Peggy Yamaguchi was ALIVE! Living in Escanaba, Michigan. Now, I had a last name. Peggy Sedenquist. I got busy sending social media messages on Facebook to every Sedenquist I could find. We used our search subscription to find phone numbers. I found Peggy's phone number. I remember being so excited and nervous making that first call. Ugh. No answer! It was a landline. I left a message when the robot voice told me to. I called again. No answer. Another message. I called again. No answer. I printed out my story, inserted it an envelope with a letter that I mailed to Peggy, letting her know Duane needed to find her! Mind you the UP was not close enough for me to drive one day to door knock unannounced at the house. I called a local college journalism professor and asked if there were any students who wanted to help a fellow journalist. No luck. I called the local Escanaba newspaper and the editor was not thrilled to speak with me and told me it wasn't a news story and he didn't have anyone who could knock on Peggy's door. I found some more phone numbers. Peggy's granddaughter in Northern California. She was a hairstylist and I found her business. I left a message. I also found a business of one of her son's. Darn it, it was no longer in service. But there was a working phone number for Rich Sedenquist. I left a message. I also called Rich's neighbor, who lived down the road. I asked him if could to stop on over to Rich's house, to let him know I needed to speak with him urgently!!!!! I knew I was getting close. I did not not want to quit. I was compelled to get Duane his answers and help him relieve his pain and hurt after seven decades.
About ten minutes before my live shot for a different story, my phone rings. It's the same Michigan number of Peggy's son, Rich. I had to answer, even though I was needed on live TV! I answered! He told me he thought I was some kind of scam artist and to stop calling his mother and him...but I convinced him I was legit. I texted him my story with Duane’s agonizing search for Peggy. I did not miss my deadline and still made my live shot. Rich called me back. "Yep, that's my mom." He didn't know about Duane, of course. I put Rich in touch with Duane's son Brian and they made arrangements for the reunion. My colleagues were also invested in the search for Peggy, when I returned to the newsroom and let them know I made contact with Peggy’s family, cheers erupted!
Like everyone else, who saw in my interview and story, Duane's aching heart and tearful plea for help in finding Peggy, Rich knew he had to help too. He pulled up the story on his laptop, put headphones on his mother and she started crying! I would have loved to be there for that special moment. The rest is history. You can watch the reunion anywhere online... hundreds of media outlets took my story and ran with it. I still get emails today asking me to put the reporter in touch with Duane.
Being a TV Journalist is not glamorous. My line of work is not popular and we are criticized constantly for the job we do. But helping a sweet veteran like, Duane Mann, makes it all worth it.
