My story is one of horror. I was married for several years. A child

was born within the marriage. I loved him with all my heart. Due to my

wife wild sexual desires, I divorced her in 1994. I was stationed

overseas but traveled to my home of record, Florida to submit the

paperwork for the divorce. My child support payments were $105.00 per

week and the divorce decree stipulated joint custody. From 1994 to

present, my ex-wife would not let me see nor talk to the child. The

U.S. ARMY would not get involved. Finally in 1999, she got stationed at

the same duty station where I was stationed. Before her arrival, she

wrote the Florida courts and requested to terminate my parental rights.

She based her request on the fact that I had not seen the child since

our divorce. I quickly responded by providing proof to the courts about

my attempts to see the child. Nothing came of her request. When that

failed, she started bragging to my co-workers that I was not the

biological father. After hearing this several times, I requested a DNA

test in Virginia (where I was stationed). The test revealed that I was

not the biological father. In spite of telling the judge the details of

why I requested the test, he ruled that I still had to continue paying

child support. He failed to address the visitation issue. Here I was

crushed about the fact that I now had no children and still had to pay

65% of my Army retirement check and the judge didn't enforce my

visitation rights.

I decided to go back to Florida. After months of submitting documents

and paying lawyers that ripped me off, I got my court date on 3 Aug

2001. I flew from Virginia for this court date. When I got there, I

was met by a General Master, not a judge. He already had his mind made

up. I started to explain the DNA test, etc, he cut me off several

times, all the while, asking "What do you want me to do"? The bottom

line, he would not help me. He would not enforce my visitation rights.

He would not accept the DNA test. He would not acknowledge the request

to terminate my parental rights. He would not terminate child support

payments or reduce them.

I realized that I had wasted my time and money by going to Florida. By

the way, my ex-wife didn't show, she wrote a letter that I could punch

holes in everything you wrote. She started out by saying that the child

was mine. After that first line, her lies got worst. Still I could not

be helped.

What can I do? I will tell you this--I will not give up. No court in

this world should make a man pay for a child that is not his.

Freddie Storey