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The Vietnam Airlift
The fall of Saigon, March 1975
By Janice Gleason
Contributing writer
When Saigon fell, the news programs showed the U.S. Embassy in Saigon under siege by the Vietnamese citizens trying to get into the embassy so they could be flown out. The Viet Cong were advancing to the capital. The fall of Saigon was imminent. It was a very sobering feeling because we had been there so long and fought so hard. The anti-war sentiment was all across the country with peace demonstrations and anti-peace demonstrations.
That last week of March, I was up very late studying with my nose in law books, when the phone rang. It was a ham radio operator asking for volunteer nurses and doctors to go to Vietnam and help airlift out the orphans.
I was told that a very wealthy man by the name of Ross Perot was arranging for a 747 jet to take the volunteers to the Philippines. The volunteers were taking off from the Los Angeles international airport. I called a couple of doctors and nurses I knew, but I couldn’t find anyone who was willing to go on such short notice. So naturally I said I would go as I was a registered nurse with a valid passport.
We departed from L.A. and headed for Clark Air Force Base in Manila in the Philippines. I was told before I left, I would be gone for three days but I was gone for over a week. First we were all put up in a motel on the outskirts of Manila close to the base. Then later we were placed in a large hangar on the air force base where they laid out mattresses for us to sleep on while we waited for the planes to arrive from Vietnam with the orphans.
We were also told that the pilots flying the orphans out were at the end of their rope, they were crying and protective of the orphans. Also, it was wonderful to see how the civilian ladies in Manila responded to the call of volunteers there. Any organized group from a garden club or a bridge club, that had a membership list and a telephone tree were called upon. The volunteers were each assigned to accompany an orphan until they boarded a plane for the U.S.
On our 747 plane we had cardboard apple boxes that had slots on the side that safety belts could slide through to keep them on the seats. Babies were placed in these boxes for transport for the entire trip. The military personnel had loaded the planes with baby formula, diapers, and baby bottles. Also some medical supplies were set up in the food galley.
It was heartbreaking to see the children in so many degrees of health. Some were sick, some were unable to walk, and all were very vulnerable. Many had little cloth shoulder bags. I asked one little boy what was in his and he showed me a marble, a safety pin, and a Christmas card. I am sure that boy still has that bag wherever he is today.
It didn’t end when I got home to San Diego. Many grandmothers called me and wanted to know if their son’s child was on the plane. Of course I didn’t know. Each child held a card or had a card stapled to the apple box with their name, destination and any medications they were receiving but there were so many I couldn’t remember them all.
I would like to share this story because I have often wondered if some of the orphans are here in Bakersfield. As far as I knew, all the orphans were spoken for. Some went to Sweden, others went to Hawaii and some were bound for the continental United States. I still think of these children today and wonder how they are doing. It was one of the most heart wrenching experiences in my long life.