In late March / early April of 1975, commercial aircraft had all seats leaving Saigon already filled to capacity. The war was at a pitch where the airport sustained shelling from time to time and the main flights out were military cargo planes. Our agency, as well as others in Vietnam at the time who were responsible for children in their care, were looking for ways children could join awaiting families. The other option, of being returned to an overcrowded orphanage, we knew, would be choosing a probable death for the the child. Orphanages which ordinarily were used to meager resources now had very few means of acquiring medication and food.

The U.S. government was providing an airlift for some Vietnamese persons who worked for US agencies and, every half hour, a cargo C-131 or C-141 would fly over our orphanage on its way out to Guam or the Phillippines.

On April 3, 1975, we were notified by USAID (United States Aid to International Development) that three Medevac "Nightingale" planes were in the Phillippines and would be sent the next day to provide transportation for the children in our care.

Then, the following day, April 4, 1975, we were told that plans had changed; that one of the worlds largest planes, a cargo C-5A (which stood about six stories high) had landed at Tan Son Nhut and had off-loaded military supplies (the plane could carry four "Jolly Green Giant" helicopters, tanks, very large equipment). President Ford had heard of our request for transportation, had decided that the military would provide transportation, and called this effort Operation Babylift. The first of the Operation Babylift flights would be the C-5A cargo plane and would carry children in our care as well as wives and children of the US Defense Attache office, the embassy and other U.S. personnel.

When we realized the Medevac planes hadn't materialized, the decision was made to put mainly the oldest children on board, children aged three and above. Also, I was to send 22 of the strongest infants in my care, who could be strapped into seats in the troop compartment of the huge plane. None of the high risk children from New Haven or Hy Vong would go on the flight.

Each of the children had passports, documentation required for adoption and had been placed with adoptive families who were waiting for their arrival. The cargo hold of the C-5A was the size of a large gymnasium (it could hold more than 16 city buses parked side by side), had netting on the floor, and a few seats along the side of the plane. It was not configured for passengers, there were no seat belts, and no possibility for oxygen, should that be needed. Much later we learned that that specific plane had had trouble with its rear doors 17 times. Only later did we hear the tape (acquired by 20/20) with the pilot expressing his concern that if something should happen with decompressors, there would be no way to safeguard the passengers. However, the pilot was instructed by the board master to proceed.

Just 15 minutes after take off - as the plane approached cruising altitude just over the South China Sea - the back doors blew out and, along with them, some crew, staff and children. The rudder control for the plane was lost, but the pilot was skillful and somehow was able to turn the plane back toward Saigon, however, with no control over speed of descent. Just outside of Saigon, the plane impacted in a rice field at 350 m.p.h., bounced over the Saigon River and eventually came to rest in a rice paddy a few miles from the airport. The pilot was later given well-deserved credit that anyone survived. Nurses at Saigon Adventist Hospital (the old Third Field Military Hospital for those of you who were there) phoned me (I was back at the nursery) and asked me to send child care workers. "They are bringing in your babies wounded" was the message. Rosemary Taylor and I jumped in a taxi. We rode to the hospital in complete silence in a ride that seemed to last forever and arrived at the ambulance entrance along with trucks, jeeps, conveyances of all kinds which were bringing in adults and children, some living, some badly injured and others, dead.

In all, about 230 of our children and half of our staff had boarded the plane and at least 180 children, staff and US citizens were killed. One of our staff members, Christie Lievermann, survived, as well as some of the children, including the 22 I whom had boarded from New Haven. As I looked through body bags, attempting to identify persons, I became aware of the number of U.S. citizens, wives and children of American and U.S. government agencies who had also died on that plane.

At the site we will have a memorial service. Included also are the names of children and staff who died in the crash. We remember, too, the U.S. citizens, women, and children of the attache office who also died in the crash, as well as members of the plane crew.

- Susan Carol McDonald, Sister of Loretto.