In 1975, the United States had changed. Coming down from the high of global triumph in World War II, Korea and Vietnam began to overshadow the victories over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.  At home there had been the assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy, war protests, and the Watergate scandal.  The shining city on the hill began to show blemishes.

Despite the imperfections, there remained strong American patriots ready to do great deeds on behalf of the country and the world.  As communist forces began pushing towards Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered that Operations NEW LIFE and BABYLIFT get underway, evacuating orphans and refugees out of South Vietnam.  On April 25, 1975, Major Wayne DeLawter of the 514th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) and his crew of five reserve volunteers and two active Airmen received a mission to fly into Saigon and evacuate 250 refugees.  On that day, the crew got more than they were expecting. 

The situation in Saigon was so bad Major DeLawter said, “We weren’t sure when we left McGuire that Saigon would last till we got there.”[1]  When DeLawter and his crew landed, Saigon was still there but just barely.  The situation surrounding the airfield was desperate.  Coming into Saigon, DeLawter conducted a spiraling combat decent due to enemy in the area.  He safely landed but while the airstrip was currently secure, thousands of people surrounded the area trying to evacuate the country.[2]  The crew exited their C-141 Starlifter only to be met with their next surprise: their passengers.  The passengers were not the expected political refugees but 189 orphans accompanied by only 28 adults.  Many of the previous orphan evacuations had been conducted on passenger airliners or military aircraft with similar seating.  The crew had no ability to even find boxes to place the infants in.  The crew found whatever they could: pillows, blankets, pads, anything to give the orphans as a comfortable a ride as possible.[3]  Each child was carried and placed onto the aircraft individually, taking nearly two hours to load them and prepare to leave.  Then the real difficulty began.

The children were largely infants. Co-pilot Capt. Charles Awbrey said, “There was no telling how old they were.  How old is a foot-long baby with legs the size of your thumb?”[4]  DeLawter had to take off, in a combat zone, without creating too steep of a ascent as many of the babies were just laying on blankets on the steel deck of the Starlifter.[5]  DeLawter said, “Well, this was the slowest acceleration I ever had.”[6]  Tech. Sgt. Rene Fougeray commented, “I was just waiting for those babies to slide right back in a big pile on the ramp.  It was the smoothest takeoff I have ever seen.”[7]

Relieved to be airborne without a pile up on the rear ramp, Fougeray did a quick survey on the passengers to make sure they were alright.  The observant sergeant realized immediately that one of the children had stopped breathing.  He administered oxygen, bringing the infant back, only to realize a number of the other children were facing the same difficulty breathing.  The message was quickly relayed to the pilots who lowered their altitude and revitalized the small passengers.[8]  Due to the high potential for ground fire, the policy was not to pressurize the cabin until they were high enough to avoid attack.[9]  If they had pressurized the cabin early and taken fire, the sudden depressurization could be fatal to the crew.  Better to hold off until the aircraft was at a sufficient altitude considered out of harm’s way.  While this operation would not have caused issues for a healthy individual, the truth about their fragile cargo was soon explained.  Many of the children were facing malnutrition, hepatitis, pneumonia, and dehydration, making them unable to handle the maneuver.[10] 

A few hours after they had departed Saigon, a rocket hit a smaller plane, and all future flights were canceled.[11]  Any remaining evacuees had to be flown out by helicopter, or not at all.  DeLawter and his crew faced no further issues on the flight, and landed in the Philippines with their cargo safely.  The children were safe but the mission was not over.  While on the flight line, 250 refugees headed for Guam began piling into the weary crew’s Starlifter.[12]  After a safe landing in Guam, nineteen hours and three sorties later, their mission was finally over.

Major DeLawter, Tech. Sgt. Fougeray and Senior Master Sgt. Raymond R. Dunphy were all awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for their heroic actions.  President Gerald Ford also wrote a letter thanking the crews who took part in the evacuation missions.  According to the Air Mobility Command Museum, more than 50,000 refugees were airlifted out of Vietnam during Operation BABYLIFT and NEWLIFE, and tens of thousands more were evacuated by sea.[13]

 As the years passed, America began to reconcile with the war.  In 1973, the draft was ended and the military became an all-volunteer force.  In the new millennium, service members heading to fight the War on Terror were thanked instead of spit on.  Then in 2012, President Barack Obama designated March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.  In many ways, the country is still trying to cope with the Vietnam War.  Some scars have healed, while others remain.  Despite the national struggle with Vietnam, the brave veterans who fought, died, and sacrificed should never be diminished.  Heroes like DeLawter and Fougeray who despite being at the tail end of the least popular war in American history, volunteered to risk their lives to evacuate and save 189 malnourished orphans from war.