It was a question that would take on darker tones in the days, weeks, and years to come as the orphan status of at least some of the children was called into question.
In an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, translator Jane Barton said the following about what she observed working with the children at Harmon Hall:
“There are unquestionably children in the airlift who are true orphans. But I talked to a number of children who said they are not orphans.”
Howe, too, claimed that he “felt it before we closed out our work. The word ‘felt’ is important – I had no proof.”
Photo Credit: Associated Press
It turned out that their thoughts and instincts were correct, as the legacy of Operation Babylift became more and more complicated over the years. Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the children, including one brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights in 1975 that sought to reunite adoptees with living relatives in Vietnam. Some children have found biological family members and others continue to search.
Some have made the return trip to Vietnam, searching for a legacy and roots they believe were stolen from them by the well-meaning but panicked United States government. Did the U.S. save children, or did they steal them?
I think it’s possible that the answer is both, though that doesn’t make what happened any easier to swallow for those directly involved.
