Operation Babylift Letters and Stories
Personal stories and letters from those touched by Operation Babylift.
How have you been touched by Operation Babylift? Please send your photos or story to share with others on the website. Write to Allison Martin, at babylift@adoptvietnam.org
Letter from a Member of the Military Police Assigned to Protect Babylift Children
I had a strange thing happen to me today while I was having a conversation with someone I just met. She mentioned being an orphan brought to the U.S. from Viet Nam as a part of Operation Babylift. She was 4 years old at the time. I was shocked to hear this because I was one of the U. S. Army Military Police that was assigned to protect those children.
She remembered the Military Police who watched over them but especially recalls the greeters at the airport. They were nice ladies with blond hair and blue eyes. She had never seen ladies like that before. They were surely angels from heaven, she thought. God bless you wonderful ladies who were so nice to those children. After 30 years, they still remember you.
I remember how unpopular the Babtlift program was back then. Some Americans did not want these children to be mixed into our society. Others, felt strongly that American children should be adopted instead. The civilians who helped make Operation Babylift a success were not just good Samaritans, they were very brave. In some cases they were risking their lives.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Fitzgerald
Tu Duc Orphanage - FCVN
My name is John Super. I ran the Tu Duc toddler facility for FCVN in 74-75. I coordinated efforts in Denver at twenty second and Downing streets during Operation Babylift. I often wonder about "my" kids. I also have never forgotten about the Vietnamese staff I had. I often wonder about retaliation against them. So many ripples in the pond of the birth of a single child during war.
Today is Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all "my" kids who made it out of that hell hole and are enjoying turkey dinners with their families.... John
Benning Babies Babylift
Babylift Letter
From 1973-1976 I served in the U.S.Army at Ft Benning,Ga. .... was part of the 43rd engineer Bn,36th Eng Group. In 1975, I volunteered to be a part of what was called "Benning Babies". We helped gather Baby food and items for the children coming to Fort Benning from Vietnam.
I was 20 years old. As my wife and I stood at Lawson Army Airfield, we were overwhelmed at the sight of those little babiies coming off the plane, many being carried in cardboard boxes, there little heads peering over the top... We felt special that day for being a small part of a great need. God bless you with his quietness and confidence in all you do. Sincerely, David Maragni Psalm 37:4
Caring for Operation Babylift after the Crash
A staff car arrived at our home on base - Clark Air Base PI - April 1975, the driver handed me a note requesting that I report to the flight line, board a C5A introduce myself to American teenager Linda Adams escort her from the plane pass (avoid) reporters and take Miss Adams to safe house i.e. Base Guest House and stay there until further notice.
That was my introduction to a remarkable young lady Linda Adams. My report read that Linda was a very mature - mentally - physically and emotionally strong 18 year old. Considering what she had just been through she was remarkably stable.
Linda shared with me that she had helped her Mother and others carry children onto a plane (C5A) to transport them to safety. During takeoff the back door blew off with such force that virtually everyone's clothes had been ripped off. Linda had been sitting next to her Mother - Linda asked "how could she have died and I live being so close together."
When escorting Linda from the plane the day after the horrific disaster she was wearing a simple dress three times her size, she explained that people watching the take off ran into the rice field after the plane fell to help those in need, someone took the dress from a suitcase and handed it to her.
During the two hours we shared together Linda spoke of her family in San Francisco, and how her Mother and Linda herself came to work with the children.
The room phone rang announcing that someone would be replacing me shortly. I asked permission to take Linda to our home on base - I was told that she was to be transported ASAP to California. We hugged goodbye.
For days after we bathed - fed - sang to - hugged - laughed and cried with the children of Operation Babylift... and the truth of these words become very real and personal:
Humans are at their very best when things are at their worst
To Linda I say God Bless you child job well done.
To all of the Children: many blessings during your Life's continued journey.
We are currently in Colorado and would like to meet with others in our extended family of - Operation Babylifters. I am currently working with soldiers and families dealing with PTSD.
From De Martin, sent by Hugh WilliamsOperation Babylift C5A Survivor Linda Adams
I was an 18 year old dependant of an American DAO worker living in Saigon and being evacuated on April 4th, 1975. My mother moved there in 1973. I then went there after high school, to work with orphans and be with my mom. The unthinkable happened. I am representing the women of DAO and all that were aboard the ill fated C5-A orphan airlift, at a ceremony on May 22, 2007 at the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here is the statement that I plan on making.
I arrived in Saigon in February of 1975. My intention was to join my mother, Barbara E. Adams who was already living there while working for the DAO. I had hoped to volunteer with the orphanages in helping the children in any way I could. However times were getting worse everyday. On April 4th, 1975 my mother came back to our apartment and asked me to please pack one suitcase and get ready to be evacuated while helping to escort Vietnamese orphans to the United States to loving and waiting families. I had not yet really experienced Vietnam, but was more than happy to escort the orphans to the US. We helped to board all of the children onto the C5A. It was a very happy time. Everyone was so happy knowing that these children would soon be in the loving arms of their parents, parents that were waiting so long for them….no one knowing what was to come that day. My mother and I were upstairs in the troop compartment caring for very young babies while all of the other women of DAO were downstairs helping the other children.
As we know, the plane was ill fated.. Once the parts of the plane came to a stop, the few surviving adults where I was helped to bring the surviving infants to safety by placing them in helicopters for transportation to the hospital. I myself was then placed on a helicopter and while sitting at the hospital, I saw my mother’s body come in along with many of her co-workers. They had all perished in the crash along with many children. I was numb….not believing what had just happened. I was in a strange land, alone….My mom was gone. I was evacuated again the next day, escorting more Vietnamese children to safety. We flew to the Phillipenes where something very unusual happened. They thought I was a Vietnamese Orphan. (That is a story all of it's own.) As I looked around and saw the hundreds of young children sitting on cots, just like me, I felt the pain these children must have been feeling. What (horror)! In a strange place, knowing no one. They were, as I was yesterday, in a strange land, knowing no one, not knowing what was to happen to them. At least I knew that I had a father and stepmother waiting for me in San Francisco…They had no idea what was happening to them.
I was then recognized by some military personnel and taken to the appropriate officials. I then flew out of the Philippines the next day gladly escorting another flight of children to the US. We ultimately landed at Travis Air Force Base north of San Francisco. My father and stepmother met me there and many very happy parents and guardians met there children there for the first time. And the children, having gone through all of this, met their parents….This again was a very happy time during a very difficult one… I currently work for a non profit adoption agency in the Washington DC area and really understand how wonderful it is to build a family. I see many children placed in loving and caring homes and I see many parents waiting anxiously for their sons or daughters to come home to them from all over the world. I also have two wonderful sons of my own, that I cherish everyday of my life.
Operation Babylift Adoptee Learns About Her Heritage
My name is Nikki Moir and I was adopted from Vietnam in 1975. I was born in Vietnam on November 26, 1974. Not until today have i ever sat down and looked on the computer about what my life was like prior to arriving in the United States. I doubt it is because I was selfish and didn't want to know, it was more that I am so very happy with my life that i may have been scared about what my life may have been like.
Looking and learning about my life has taken a different turn in the last few days. My mother-in-law was asked to write a story about her daughter-in-law who was adopted from Vietnam. In September there will be a Vietnam War Memorial dedication in our state capital, Pierre. So this has sparked some interest. So we have been digging through pictures and gathering articles. I did not know until today that there was an "Operation Babylift". My dad has always said that it was a very big deal, but I just assumed it was because it was such a big deal for him that everyone should feel his pride. And it isn't that he was trying to hide things either. I just never asked questions before today.
I googled airlift as I heard this term in an article that i had read today. And to my surprise there are many article about this. I found www.adoptvietnam.org and read article about the airlift and read peoples stories. I had no idea how many babies were taken and given new homes. I was amazed. This explains why even today when I say who I am people always say I remember when your parents got you and how proud they were!
I just thought that I would take time and write and thank you for all you do to continue to let people know what that day was like in April 1975. Nikki Moir #467
Fort Lewis and Operation Babylift
I was an NCO wife at Ft.Lewis, Wa that spring. I worked the 6PM to MIdnight shift at the temporary quarters for the orphans on North Ft. Lewis. We had armed MP escorts, concertina wire. We wore long pants and longsleeved shirts, covered our hair. We just tried to keep them bathed and dressed and fed. There were wounds to attend to as well. The civilians in the neighboring areas around base were very angry about the flights coming into McChord. They seemed not to care that all the children had American fathers. There were snipers positioned in the ditches along I-5 where it splits Main Fort and North Fort. I don't remember how many nights I worked, or the names of the women who worked with me. It just seemed that there was not enough time to get them all out of Saigon before it fell. The planes landed 24/7. There was an elaborate check point system set up. I've not researched this event too much- there are so many mixed emotions attached to it. I'm just curious if there are any print articles about the part that Ft. Lewis played in the Operation. I would be interested in reading them. I don't really recall how many wives there were- but it was a lot. My husband was in Headquarters/Headquarters Company, 3/5 Air Cav. Thank you, Sherri Mckee
Operation Babylift Letter about Base Operations, Clark AB
Col. Claude L. Branson Jr. USAF ret
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a retired 06 living in Ft. Worth. I was the Base Operations Officer and Chief of Airfield Management at Clark AB during the entire evacuation of Saigon. I worked 16-18 hours a day for months and NOTHING moved on the airfield during that period of time without my knowledge and permission. I was MG Leroy Manors personal pilot in the North American T-39 as an additional duty. I consider myself as the corporate memory of that entire saga as it pertains the Clark operation. MY wife was very much involved in the endeavor as well, taking the babies as we received them, naked in apple boxes and getting the little critters into a warm bed in the base gym after the doctors had examined them.
Lt/Col Jimmy Wills asked me to go to Saigon with him on the ill fated C5A. It took me 15 minutes to get to the aircraft which had taxied to the runway because I had to fetch my helmet and flight gear from my home. He radioed me that the mission had received a sense of urgency message and they did not have time to open the door to let me in but fret not because they were going again tomorrow. I was disappointed because I wanted a piece of the action. (Old B-52 pilots are like that.)
As you know Jimmy did not return. He was found on the lower deck with a baby in each arm. I could go on about the carpetbaggers who smuggled dope, people and gold bars into the island.C-130 crew chiefs got $15,000 per person near the end. One afternoon President Tue's DC4 with his personal pilot and family viloated PI airspace and landed without permission but sans him. What a mess that was. They had just enough petrol left to fill up a zippo. 3rd Air Division wanted to run the show from their command post on the hill but I was up close and personal with the armed guards in the aircraft that confronted me when I opened to door. CBS was filming this and the crew was claiming immunity because even though the Status of Forces Agreement clearly delineated that the base was under US control, the Philippine liaison officer did not see it that way because their F5 aircraft were buzzing the field. Just thought that my experiences and first-hand knowledge would be of interest.
Operation Babylift Letter From A Cast Member of Miss Saigon
My name is Dianna Collins and I am a cast member of "Miss Saigon." For the past 2 hours, I have been reading your web pages all about the Saigon "Operation Babylift" and I am horrified to admit that I never knew a thing about it. I was born in 1972 so I was too young to understand the Vietnam War when it was happening and I was not taught about this war (or any war, for that matter) in school. What a disgrace. The schools of America really let down their citizens by choosing to hide this very important part of our history.
Being a cast member of Miss Saigon has been such an eye opening experience for me. I am Caucasian but I play several Vietnamese roles throughout the show. (I have Asian features). Every night, I have to climb a fence, screaming my head off, begging the "Americans" not to leave us behind, all the while facing a large helicopter that is being loaded with "American troops". Each night the emotion of it is very great and I can only imagine how horrific that must have been for the citizens of Saigon.
The young lady playing our "Kim" is a true bui-doi. She was born in Vietnam in 1973 of a Vietnamese mother and G.I. father. Janine was adopted out of a Vietnam orphanage when she was 6 months old. There is a number in the show called "Bui-Doi" and during it, photographs of bui-doi children are flashed up on the screens throughout the theatre. Many of them are of Janine in her orphanage. The sights are horrific and even thought I have done this show 8 times a week for many months now, the cast still cries for these children.
Thank you for educating me and I wish you all of the best. I will be sure to pass along your link so the rest of the cast can educate themselves so we will have a better understanding of what we are singing about.
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