. >> driven all the way from south carolina to find out whether father thomas sullivan is your father. >> reporter: dr. anne m ie meyers is the anthropologist hols took dna samples from the priest buried in june. the day after father's day. now two months later -- >> and i'm here to telou that he is. >> i don't think i've ever hug aid doctor before but thank you. reporter: finally confirmation and relief. >> a bit drained emotionally but in a way relaxed. >> reporter: amid family rumors it's a journey that began at the kitchen table of who he thought were as a aunt and uncle as they slid an obituary across the table table. >> ty said this m may be your father but we don't know. only the principals know and'r they dead. >> reporter: that day in 1993 began the quest. he hst qned the church, gathered orphanage records, hired detectives. at the center, one question. was father thomas sullivan a priest from lowell, graduate of boston college, buried in tewksbury, his father? >> and when she told uh-huh such nemotion. >> w it's validated it hit home. >> reporter: he doesn't want compensatio

. >> you've driven all the way from south carolina to find out whether father thomas sullivan is your father. r orter: this is the forensic anthropologist who took dna samples the day after father's day. now two months later -- >> and i'm here to tell you that he is. >> i don't think i've ever hugged youbefore, but thank you. >> reporter: finally confirmation and relief. >> betrayed emotionally, but in a wayrelaxed. >> reporter: amid family rumors, he thought people wer an aunt and uncle. >> they said to me this man may be our father, but we don't know. tnl oh principles know, and they're all dead. reporter: that day in 1993 began the quest. he hasuestioned the church, gathered records, hired private dectives. the center? one question. was father thomas sullivan a priest, graduate of boston college, his father. >> and when she told you, you had such emotion. >> when it's validated, it hit home. >> reporter: graham doesn't want compensation or money from the church, only validation, recognition, a. confessi >> they tried to bury our history, a - i i wasn't going let that happen. >> rep

was father thomas sullivan a priest, graduate of boston college, buried, his father. >> when she told you, you had ch emotion. >> when it's validated, it hit home. >> reporter: graham doesn't want compensation or money from e church. only validation, recognition, a confession. >> they tried to bury our history, and i wasn't goingle t that happen. >> reporter: and he never wanted to exhume a priest. >> my father is speaking today rrough his dna today. but it waslly unnecessary when you think of the catholic church all along. theynow who i am. they all know i'm his son. i look just like him. >> reporter: graham believes the church took h h from real parents to avoid scandal. a child fathered by a priest with a married woman. >> he told me forget the injustices of the past. i mean, justhat statement drove me to do what we're doing here today. all they had to do was acknowledge that 25 years ago and say what can we do to helpu there's emotional damage and they never even offered. >> repter: your story is ground breaking for so many other people who believe they're ildren of priests. what

. >> you have driven all the way from south carolina to find out whether thomas sullivan is your father, and i'm here to tell you that he is. >> don't miss the full story and why this man thinks it could lead to answers for more people like him. that's tonight on news4 at 11:00. >>> a big change for local veterans the v.a. opened a new medical center in montgomery county. th pressure do so with the problems here at the v.a. in d.c. reporter: that's right. the v.a. has hundreds of clinics nationwide. this one serves montgery county. the vets had been making the drive tohe d.c. for medical treatment there. that's been plagued by mismanagement, supply shortages postpoments and other things from an investigation by the news i-team. vets can go to this smallerin in gaithersberg. local vets told us they wanted an alternative to the d.c. center, which, among otherin has a parking shortage. >> now we have a community based facility here in montgomery, and that's where healtcare is going, community based. >> reporter: that clinic will be part of the d.c./v.a. which is looking for aew leader. fiv

thomas sullivan. and my brother bart joseph. what are you doing bart?very day. not a day goes by that we don't think about you we all raise the class in your memory today. and another toast next month that would have been you 50th we love you. >> to my uncle that my brother is named after him who we missed dearly. >> colleen. robert. celine. john francis. christine. ryan sweeney. kenneth swenson. kevin thomas. michael. firefighter sean patrick. rachel. hector logan. rundell. venice gerard year. donnie brooks. hilda taylor. leonard taylor. larissa taylor. sandra taylor. paul tech meyer. stanley temple. and my brother lieutenant philip scott petty letter 12 fire department we miss you tremendously, not a day goes by you are not thought of or spoken about and prayed for. we never get tired of telling stories about you. we remember you in our hearts how you will live on in our lives until the day we die. i love you phil i will talk to you later. >> and my cousin maria, it has been 17 years, we love you and miss you. god bless america. [applause] thomas juni