List the Names of Dia Employees Killed in the 1975 Baby Flight.
In Memoriam
The Babylift Memorial Page is defended to all who died during Babylift or as
a result of Babylift.
We repent for any names inadvertently left off this listing.
We enquire anyone having additional names to please contact Lana Noone at lana@vietnambabylift.org.
"Now nosotros run across through a drinking glass darkly, merely then we will see confront to face."
Someday nosotros will all run into, in another realm.
Until that day, you volition ever remain in our hearts.
Memorial Service
April 4, 2002
Site of the C-5A crash
Outside of Saigon, Vietnam
By Sis Susan Carol McDonald
In belatedly 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 principal flights out were military cargo planes. Our agency, also as others in Vietnam at the fourth dimension who were responsible for children in their care, were looking for ways children could join pending families. The other selection, of being returned to an overcrowded orphanage, nosotros 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.Due south. 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 wing over our orphanage on its fashion out to Guam or the Phillippines.
On April three, 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.
And then, the following solar day, April 4, 1975, nosotros were told that plans had changed; that one of the worlds largest planes, a cargo C-5A (which stood virtually half dozen stories high) had landed at Tan Son Nhut and had off-loaded military supplies (the plane could carry four "Jolly Green Behemothic" 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 intendance likewise as wives and children of the US Defence force Attache office, the diplomatic mission 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 3 and above. Besides, 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 gamble 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 concord of the C-5A was the size of a big gymnasium (it could agree more than 16 metropolis buses parked side past side), had netting on the flooring, and a few seats forth the side of the airplane. It was not configured for passengers, at that place were no seat belts, and no possibility for oxygen, should that be needed. Much subsequently we learned that that specific aeroplane had had trouble with its rear doors 17 times. Simply after did we hear the tape (acquired past 20/20) with the pilot expressing his business concern that if something should happen with decompressors, there would be no way to safeguard the passengers. However, the pilot was instructed by the lath main to proceed.
Only 15 minutes afterward take off - as the plane approached cruising distance only over the S Communist china Bounding main - the back doors blew out and, along with them, some crew, staff and children. The rudder control for the plane was lost, but the airplane 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 drome. The airplane pilot was later given well-deserved credit that anyone survived. Nurses at Saigon Adventist Hospital (the erstwhile 3rd Field Military Hospital for those of you who were in that location) phoned me (I was back at the nursery) and asked me to send child intendance workers. "They are bringing in your babies wounded" was the bulletin. Rosemary Taylor and I jumped in a taxi. We rode to the hospital in consummate silence in a ride that seemed to last forever and arrived at the ambulance entrance forth with trucks, jeeps, conveyances of all kinds which were bringing in adults and children, some living, some badly injured and others, dead.
In all, nigh 230 of our children and one-half of our staff had boarded the plane and at least 180 children, staff and Usa citizens were killed. One of our staff members, Christie Lievermann, survived, besides as some of the children, including the 22 who had boarded from New Haven. Every bit I looked through body bags, attempting to identify persons, I became enlightened of the number of U.S. citizens, wives and children of American and U.South. authorities agencies who had also died on that plane.
At the site we volition accept a memorial service. Included also are the names of children and staff who died in the crash. Nosotros remember, likewise, the U.S. citizens, women, and children of the attache office who also died in the crash, as well as members of the aeroplane coiffure.
- Susan Carol McDonald, Sis of Loretto.
War machine
U.S. Air Force
| | Lieutenant Colonel William S. Willis "My dad was also on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on April 4 outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans." Submitted by Lt. Col. William S. Willis' girl, Karen Willis Acree, Baronial 23, 2004. |
| | Captain Mary Therese Klinker Capt. Klinker, a flying nurse assigned to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, was on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on April 4 outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans. This is known as the Operation Babylift crash. In that location are also Usa Air Force and Air Force Association web pages nigh Operation Babylift. From Lafayette, IN, she was 27. She was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal. |
| | Captain Edgar R. Melton Capt. Melton died every bit a issue of crash |
| | Master Sergeant Joe Castro Msgt. Castro was also on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on April 4 outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans. - Submitted by crew member Phil Wise on February 3, 2005 |
| | Master Sergeant Denning C. Johnson Msgt. Johnson was besides on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on Apr iv outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans. - Submitted by his daughter, Yvonne Pickering, April 4, 2004 |
| | Main Sergeant Wendle L. Payne Msgt. Payne died as a upshot of crash |
| | Technical Sergeant Felizardo C. Aguillon Tsgt. Aguillon died as a result of crash |
| | Technical Sergeant William One thousand. Parker Tsgt. Parker died every bit a result of crash |
| | Staff Sergeant Donald T. Dionne Ssgt. Dionne died equally a outcome of crash |
| | Staff Sergeant Kenneth E. Nance Ssgt. Nance was also on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on April four outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans. - Submitted by crew member Phil Wise on February 3, 2005 |
| | Staff Sergeant Michael One thousand. Paget Ssgt. Paget died equally a result of crash |
Civilian
| Barbara Adams | Andrew | |
| Ann Marie | Anne of Green Gables | |
| Clara F. Bayot | Exist | |
| Nova Bell | Micheal Bell | |
| Hung Bernard | Arleta Bertwell | |
| Paul Nguyen Ngoc Bich | Jacques Binh | |
| Helen Blackburn | Birgit Blanc | |
| Bob | Ann Bottorff | |
| Celeste Chocolate-brown | David Bui | |
| Dolly Bui | Michou Bui | |
| Tina Bui | Christina | |
| Vivienne Clark | Hai Cone | |
| Juanita Creel | Mary Ann Hunker | |
| Dorothy Curtiss | Dean | |
| Kim Hoa Deborah | Denis | |
| Tran Dinh | Twila Donelson | |
| Helen Drye | Theresa Drye | |
| Mary Lyn Eichen | Elisabeth Dung | |
| Cuong Fitch | Monique Ewald | |
| Ruthanne Gasper | Elizabeth Fugino | |
| Geoffrey | Genevieve | |
| Tran Van Hai | Gerald | |
| Hemar | Heiko | |
| Beverly Herbert | Henry | |
| Hoa | Penelope Hindman | |
| Dorothy Howard | Vera Hollibaugh | |
| Janice | Desmond Hung | |
| Jim | Jill | |
| Khanh | Barbara Kauvulia | |
| Mai Kristen | Quoc Kien | |
| C. S. Lewis | Sister Ursula Lee | |
| Thuy Linh | Lien | |
| Bach Mai | Lois | |
| Lee Makk | Barbara Maier | |
| Diep Marie | Marcia | |
| Rebecca Martin | Mark Paul | |
| Martha Middlebrook | Sarah Martini | |
| Katherine Moore | Minh | |
| Margaret Moses | Marta Moschkin | |
| Nancy | Practise Xuan My | |
| Pascal Nhan | Ngoc | |
| Kim Oanh | Tran Tinh Nhu | |
| Phu | Pascale | |
| Marion Polgrean | Phuong | |
| June Poulton | Bob Poulton | |
| Sayonna Randall | Joan Pray | |
| Helen Rosalie Drye | Anne Reynolds | |
| Salandre | Diedre Roukema | |
| Laurie Stark | Marjorie Snowfall | |
| Susi | Barbara Stout | |
| Symphony | Sylvester | |
| Tashini | Carsten Tam | |
| Thanh | Thanh | |
| Tien | Thy | |
| Tom Otterson | Anh Tinh | |
| Viet | Tuan | |
| Vincent | Vim | |
| Hy Vong | Volker | |
| Sharon Wesley | Doris Jean Watkins | |
We also recall and mourn the members of the plane crew. If y'all have whatever of their names delight frontward them to Lana Noone past email to lana@vietnambabylift.org.
We share in the grief of the birth mothers and fathers of children who perished in the crash and the families who awaited the arrival of those children and family members.
Memorial at Fresno Urban center College
Fresno, California
Twila Donelson
Kelly Samaritan
1933-1975
Twila Donelson came to Kelly AFB after the closure of the Mobile Air Materiel area in the 1960s. She was assigned to the Materiel Management Advisers when she went to South Viet Nam to teach materiel management practices. With Saigon's fall imminent, she volunteered to aid the evacuation of hundreds of orphans in "Operation Babylift". On 5 April 1975, the C-5 carrying these orphans crashed on takeoff. Twila Donelson was ane of the 172 fatalities. The Kelly Field Heritage Foundation is proud to honor her dedication to duty and selfless courage as exemplifying the true spirit of Kelly's heritage of service.
Adrian Joel Acosta died on November 19, 2005
"1 of his about pregnant achievements, close to his middle, was his function as founder and chairman of the Veteran's Peace Memorial Monument and Court of Honor on the campus of Fresno City College, CA.
The monument honors America's veterans from all 6 brances of service and the countless men and women the'citiizen soldiers' who back up the efforts of those who have sacrificed for our coutnry.
Adrian was responsible for honroing the Circle of Sisters at the the Peace Memorial at Fresno City College with the names of the civilian women who served and died in Vietnam."
- Sally Vinyard
"While only 8 war machine women died in Vietnam, 57 noncombatant women died there, and their names are insciribed on Adrian'due south Veterans Peace Memorial."
- Carolyn Tanaka
(Editor's annotation: 34 of the 57 women died in the C5A Vietnam Babylift plane crash, April 4, 1975)
Polly Oakley, Defense force Attache Function, Memorial Statement...
July, 2006:
The Viet Nam Babylift community was saddened to learn of the recent death of Polly Oakley.
The following was written by Sally Vinyard in celebration of Polly'southward service in Viet Nam:
"If it had not been for Polly saving the letter I wrote her from Vietnam listing the women who were killed on the C-5a nosotros would not have a record of those names.
I sat down (I recall the 12th of April, the original letter is with the Circle of Sister archives at the Univ of Denver) when I had a few moments and wrote to tell her of the tragedy and list the names and where they worked etc. If I remember correctly I had a copy of the manifest in front of me. This was the first opportunity I had to write her. Thirty four were friends of ours.
Years later when they were preparing the Vietnam Women's Memorial people suddenly realized nosotros had no names. I wrote Polly and said practice you remember ----- and in the return mail she sent me the letter, envelope and all. And so we had an accurate tape. I have blest her many times for this and meant to write long earlier this time to give credit to Polly for keeping that letter.
Polly served a tour in Danang in the tardily 1960's (while I was with OICC in Saigon) but we did non meet until we both returned (at the call of our country) to Saigon in March 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed.
We became friends when she moved into the billet where I lived and we became closer. We rode to and from work together each day. Learned to play pool from the "big boys" and even played in the Southeast Asia tournament 1 yr. We supported each other during some very dire times. I doubt if either would accept made it without the other.
Subsequently, after we retired, nosotros traveled together (over 40 countries) visited in each others homes and relatives homes, in Communist china, Germany and United states.
When we were visiting my Grandson Aaron Vinyard and Family unit in Virginia and his young son was trying to figure out the relationship and I said, "well Aunt Polly is my friend but she is like a Sis" and little Connor said, "She is your Babe Sister" and she truly was.
If there is someway you lot tin can take some of this information to brand a tribute to Polly I would be so grateful.
***EDITOR'S Annotation:
Sally Vinyard is an "unsung hero" of the Viet Nam Babylift, who's Viet Nam service during Apr, 1975 is documented in the chapter 'Last Woman Out" in "White Christmas in April", the story of the final days of the Viet Nam War.
Sally worked directly with General Homer G. Smith during Babylift, and their untiring commitment to Babylift was the primary reason for its success.
The Vietnambabylift.org website is honored for the oppportunity to commemorate the life of Polly Oakley and grateful for her Viet Nam service.
We extend our deepest sympathy and our gratitude to her family and friends.***
Source: http://www.vietnambabylift.org/Memorial.html
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