There is more than a sense of irony in the new short documentary, Operation Babylift: A Celebration of the Human Spirit, 1975-2025.
In this era of visa revocations and mass deportations, it’s striking to watch a film about a U.S. president, in this case Gerald Ford, literally moving heaven and earth to save thousands of Vietnamese children and bring them to the U.S. to start new lives.
But that’s exactly what happened in April 1975. Saigon was falling quicker than expected to North Vietnamese forces. Evacuation plans of U.S. troops were chaotic. Baby boomers remember those haunting images of desperate people, scrambling to get on helicopters at the U.S. Embassy.
Of particular concern were the thousands of children fathered by American soldiers. The government in Hanoi wanted nothing to do with these Asian-American orphans, many shunned by their own families, and they were reportedly marked for death in the takeover of Saigon.
President Ford called a press conference at the White House, where he announced “Operation Babylift,” a plan to bring more than 2,000 Vietnamese orphans to the U.S. where they would be adopted.
“This is the least we can do,” the President announced that day. “And we will do much, much more.”
Director Dirk Braun mixes graphic wartime footage with current interviews to mark the 50th anniversary of this all-but-forgotten chapter of U.S. history.
Our primary guide through the 13-minute documentary is San Luis Obispo actor/rancher Steve Ford, looking every bit like his famous father.
It is difficult to describe the sheer emotional wallop crammed into such a brief narrative.”
“We had so many children that had been fathered by American servicemen,” the younger Ford explains early in the film. “We couldn’t leave those kids there.”
It is difficult to describe the sheer emotional wallop crammed into such a brief narrative. Braun doesn’t waste a single second in documenting the challenges—and the heartbreak—associated with this story.
President Ford was able to move swiftly, in conjunction with relief agencies, and a military cargo plane was sent to airlift the first batch of children. Tragedy doomed that first flight, however, and it crash-landed minutes after takeoff from Saigon, killing 138 people, including 78 children.
As the documentary details, military officials decided that cargo planes weren’t the best mode of transportation for the children. Traditional commercial airplanes, with conventional seating, were needed. Pan Am, then the prestige U.S. airline, stepped up and pilots and flight attendants volunteered for basically wartime duty.
They brought 2,500 children out safely.
When viewed through the lens of current events, you can’t help but be moved . . .”
Thuy Williams, now a successful Portland consultant and motivational speaker, typifies the plight these Asian-Americans faced. Pure luck prevented her from being gunned down in a Saigon alley where children were being shot at random. Her mother put her on that very first plane, but it was too crowded and Williams was pulled off at the last minute. As she explains, there’s no doubt that “Operation Babylift” saved her life.
Near the end of the film, after viewers have had a chance to hear from now-adult children and some of the former flight attendants who volunteered, Steve Ford puts it all in perspective.
“The takeaway from all this is the ripple effect of all these babies,” Ford says. “The good things they’ve done for America. Gotten into careers. Raised families. This country was always founded on bringing people in and welcoming people. They got stuck in the middle of a war. It was our job to get them out and give them a chance at life.”
When viewed through the lens of current events, you can’t help but be moved by Operation Babylift: A Celebration of the Human Spirit, 1975-2025. I’m not trying to be overly political, but one has to wonder whether or not this story would happen today.
Produced by the Pan Am Museum Foundation, the documentary is available online to watch for free.
It’s definitely worth 13 minutes of your life to experience the story and recall a time when our better angels prevailed—the moment when America, in my humble opinion, was truly great.