Operation Babylift was the mass evacuation of Vietnamese children during the final days of the Vietnam War.

On April 4, 1975, the first flight out was on a huge C-5A Galaxy loaded with 314 passengers that crashed due to mechanical failure shortly after takeoff. 178 of 314 passengers survived. I was one of them.

Today, over fifty years later, the original paperwork from Friends for All Children adoption organization that had been based in Boulder, Colorado is being processed for archival preservation and access. These records include flight manifests, medical files, case documents, letters, and photographs that make up pieces of the fragmented pages of the adoptees unknown origin story

This project exists for one purpose: to bring these histories to the individuals they belong to, with care, respect and compassion. We are reuniting adoptees with their original records, gathering the stories of those connected to Operation Babylift, and preserving the memories of the caregivers, volunteers, and veterans whose voices are fading with time.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, this is a vital moment to honor a chapter of history that has long been fragmented, misunderstood, or lost.By bringing these archives to life and back into community hands, we are rebuilding connections one story at a time beginning with mine.

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-devaki