As we approach the 30th Anniversary of the Vietnam Babylift (1975-2005), it is only fitting to recognize the "unsung" heroes of this extraordinary effort.

The men and women who sacrificed their time, energy, finances, and in some cases, tragically, their very lives to help the children who were "in harm's way" deserve more accolades than this website can provide. However, I sincerely hope that, in some small manner, this page serves to honor all those who participated in Babylift.

The following stories and names are only a small portion of those who deserve recognition, and I hope that all who read this list will contact me with any additional names that you believe have been omitted.

On behalf of the entire Babylift community...thank you all very much and Welcome Home.

Many thanks,
Lana Noone.
Lana@Vietnambabylift.org

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May 3, 1995

I'm trying to type this in the car as we are driving back to Phoenix. We just attended the dedication of a tablet listing the 56 civilian women who died in Vietnam (many of them were US Government Employees). The ceremony was held in the Court of Honor at the Fresno Veteran's Peace Memorial Monument at a local college.

A 400-mile drive is an ideal length to sort out one's emotions. Make no mistake, it was emotional. The ceremony was simple, short, patriotic, dignified, covered by the media, and well attended by military and state/city governmental reps. Also honored was the 442d Regimental Combat Team (the WWII Japanese American Unit that fought so bravely in Europe and took so many casualties...many of them were from California's Central Valley).

Of course the ceremony was to honor those women who died, most of whom were killed in the C-5 Babylift crash. But it was also to recognize the 20,000 civilian women who worked in Vietnam (some for 6, 8 years) and specifically "our Den Mother" Sally Vinyard. Most Americans do not even know we were there and that we outnumbered the military women...or that we had lost 56 versus the 8 military women listed on THE WALL in Washington, DC.

The most moving moment came after the introductory remarks describing what Sally did in April 1975: She was processing outgoing passengers when the C-5 Babylift crashed. Many of the American women being evacuated from Vietnam were placed on that flight to help care for the babies from the orphanages. Most of their bodies were never found, and their presence on the plane was never reported in the press because the US Ambassador did not want the media and the Vietnamese to know we were abandoning Saigon. But just after the crash, Sally made a personal record of their names...some of which we knew. It was the only record because the manifest was not found. As the end of our involvement neared, Sally helped care for children being evacuated from the orphanages until they were flown out to the US on the Babylift flights. The Mayor of Fresno then got up and described his personal Relationship to the C-5 Babylift: There was an audible gasp when he said his oldest son was adopted from among those babies and was now a college student. He came over personally and thanked Sally; there was not a dry eye around me, including mine.

The 15 of us who attended were asked to stand as a group, and the crowd gave us a standing and prolonged ovation. Many came over after the ceremony and thanked us for what we did. I felt like a fraud because all I did was type and file so that the VC would surrender.

- Diane Johnson Brem <pvccsunlakes@juno.com>
November 29, 2004

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By Sally Vinyard...

Diane: Thank you for your very kind words. A point of clarification:

The C-5a crash , when so many of our Women (and Orphans) were killed took place on 4 April 1975. Operation Babylift consisted of many flights over a period of about a month. My involvement with the Orphans took place sometime after the 20th of April. (I can only remember a few dates, 4 April, the crash, 20 April when I left my quarters never to return and from that time onward I worked 24 hours a day, and the 29th of April the day I Helicoptered out).

When the Crash occurred I received a call from the Command Center to bring in all the sheets and pillowcases I had to be used for body bags. A while after that I received another call from CC to go over to Seventh Day Hospital (what used to be Third Field Hospital) and "take care of the crew" provide a place for them to stay and keep the media away from them". Which I did. I was there until way after curfew. Linda Adams was there also (the 17 year old who survived the crash. Her Mother Barbara Adams died in the Crash).

I ramble -- When I finally got back to my quarters at 176 Hai Ba Trung (remember they had built another story on top of the office building for Officers Quarters after the 'draw down). The Paris Peace Accords allowed for only 50 Military Personnel to be "in Country" at one time. So OICC was now at DIRCON status with one Navy Capt as the only Military. JP. Nelson was number 3 person, number two civilian. The Dircon had decided to send all their people on TAD to Thailand for 30 to 60 days (a ruse to get them out of Saigon without the Ambassador knowing what was going on). I think it was the evening of the 2d or 3rd when I got home from work, they asked me if I knew how to type (I explained that women who had worked their way up tried very hard to forget how to type, but yes I still could). They brought up an electric typewriter from the offices below put it on a coffee table in "Hoss" quarters (next to mine) and I typed "orders" until after two am. John Pedewick signed them authorizing people to go to Thailand or Guam, or the Philippines, or Hong Kong any place around there to get out of Saigon. Just as I was finishing he said, "Sally, type yourself up a set of orders too, just don't try to collect on them:" So I did, carried them with me on my body, just in case. (They are in Denver now).

As I started to tell you that they had all these people out at Ton Son Nhut on the 4th of April, so when the Crash occurred all flights out were cancelled and all these people had nowhere to go except back to 176 Hai Ba Trung, not only were the OICC employees (and their many dependents to be on that flight but GCAA (the accounting branch that oversaw the Contract spending?) employees and their dependents were included. So the floors were carpeted with people until they were able to get them out the next day? (I am not sure when they went out).

Sometime, when we have time I will tell you more about the night of the 4th, which as you can guess was a heart breaking time.

Thanks for caring.

Love, Sally


The following list includes the names of all those who participated in Babylift, 1975

Agencies

Catholic Charities
Friends of Children of Vietnam (FCVN)
Friends For All Children (FFAC)
Holt Children's Service
Tressler Lutheran Services
USAID

Personnel (Vietnam)

Cherie Clark
Ed Daly
Carol (Helder) Dey
Sister Mary Nelle Gage
Ken Healy
Bill Keating
Sister Susan McDonald
Ross Meador
Rosemary Taylor
LeAnn Thieman
Betty Tisdale
Colonel Dennis Traynor
Sargeant Phil Wise

Personnel (USA)

Shirley Barnes
Jodi Darragh
Barbara Holtan
Cheryl Markson

Defense Attache Office:
General Homer G. Smith
Sally Vinyard

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On behalf of the entire Babylift community, I wish to thank Charles B. Wilber for his expertise as webmaster of this site. Without his knowledge and commitment, the Vietnam Babylift site would not exist.

- Lana Noone

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