2006-09-25 06:10:06 · 1 answers · asked by jim n 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Operation baby lift timeline
April 2, 1975: First (unauthorized) Babylift flight, World Airways, with 57 children on board, takes off from Vietnam. April 3, 1975: President Gerald R. Ford authorizes "Operation Babylift." April 4, 1975: First authorized Babylift flight (C5A Galaxy) crashes shortly after takeoff. Many lives are saved due to the heroic efforts of the flight crew, under U.S. Air Force Pilot Colonel Dennis Traynor. April 5-26, 1975: Babylift flights continue with the final flight on 4/26/75, three days before the complete evacuation of U.S. personnel from Vietnam. Late 1975: California - Class action lawsuit is filed against President Ford, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, et. al., regarding improper procedures (i.e. parolee visas, etc) used to evacuate the adoptees. After many months of depositions, interviews and "footprinting" of the adoptees by the INS, the lawsuit is dismissed. August,1985: Babylift 10th Anniversary Reunion, Colorado May 2, 1995: People Magazine article about Babylift adoptees is published. Babylift Adoptees who are interviewed include Tim Holtan, Jennie Noone and others. August, 1995: Babylift 20th Anniversary Reunion, Colorado April, 2000: Babylift 25th Anniversary Reunion, Baltimore Maryland, and Washington, DC. (VAN and AVI Babylift adoptee groups are formed during this Reunion.) August, 2000: Babylift 25th Anniversary Reunion, Colorado December 16, 2000: Babylift Remembrance Day, New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center, Holmdel, New Jersey October 18, 2001: Babylift Awards Recognition Ceremony, African-American Cultural Council, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Freddi Moody, President. The Council presents awards to several Babylift adoptees, participants and families, including Shirley Barnes, Tia Keevil, Sister Susan McDonald, Lana Noone, Adam Pertman, Jolynne Strang (for her work on behalf of the DAO) and Phil Wise. April 13, 2002: Vietnam Babylift Panel, 4th Vietnam Triennial Symposium, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, consisting of Shirley Barnes, Ken Healy (pilot of the first Babylift flight) Ross Meador, Lana Noone and Andrew Winterbottom May, 2002: Babylift Recognition Plaque is installed in Denver, Colorado to commemorate the Continental Care Center, where 600 of the adoptees were cared for in April, 1975, through May 17, 1975 by thousands of volunteers, under the direction of Shirley Barnes. December 14, 2002: Vietnam Babylift Remembrance Day, New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center, Holmdel, New Jersey April 26, 2003: Vietnam Babylift Adoptees Panel, American Museum of Natural History, New York, consisting of Tia Keevil, Jason Minh Alt, Jennifer Noone, and Canh Oxelson Memorial Day, 2003: C-SPAN broadcasts the Babylift Adoptees Panel during their Memorial Day programming. November 10, 2003: Babylift community is represented by Lana Noone in Washington, DC, at the 10th Anniversary of the Vietnam Civilian Women's Memorial. December, 2003: www.Vietnambabylift.org website is brought online through the efforts of Vietnam veteran Charles Wilber. August, 2004: Lana Noone presents an "Operation Babylift" program at the Catalyst Foundation's Conference at Endicott College, Massachusetts for Families with Children from Vietnam.November, 2004: Newsday includes Lana Noone's Veteran's Day Babylift Program in Oyster Bay, New York in their Veteran's Day news article. December, 2004: Lana Noone presents "Operation Babylift" Program at Dowling College, Oakdale, New York in conjunction with Dowling's Year of Asian-American Culture.March 16, 2005: Lana Noone presents a Babylift 30th Anniversary Program at the Wang Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York in conjuction with Women's History Month.
April 1, 2005: World Airways (www.woa.com) announces a 30th Anniversary Vietnam Babylift Trip to Vietnam, scheduled for June 13, 2005. The trip commemorates the April 2, 1975 (WOA) Babylift flight, and will include Babylift adoptees, flight crew members, and additional Babylift participants. Titled, "Operation Babylift-Homeward Bound", it is the first Babylift Reunion to receive official diplomatic recognition from both the United States and Vietnam.Saturday, April 2, 2005 was proclaimed "Vietnam Babylift" Day by the Governor of New Jersey. The date is significant, as it is the 30th Anniversary of the first (unauthorized) Babylift flight.
A 30th Anniversary Vietnam Babylift Program was presented at the New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center, Holmdel, New Jersey.
Participants included Vietnam Babylift adoptees and families, Vietnam Veterans and civilians who were active in the Babylift, and members of the Vietnamese community.
Traditional Vietnamese music and dance was performed and an art, artifacts and photo exhibit were included in the program.
The event was coordinated by Lana Noone and the Center staff.A 30th Anniversary Vietnam "Operation Babylift" painting, titled "Heather's Homecoming-Operation Babylift" by Artist/Vietnam Veteran Bernie Duff was unveiled at the New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center's 30th Anniversary Vietnam Babylift Program on April 2, 2005. It commemorates Heather Constance Noone/Mai Ngoc Tran's arrival in New York from Vietnam on April 23, 1975.
Heather (February 14, 1975-May 17, 1975) is the beloved daughter of Byron and Lana Noone, sister of Jennifer and Jason Noone, sister-in-law of Rosemary Noone and aunt of Heather Marie Song Yee Noone, her namesake.
The Noone family wishes to express their deep gratitude to Bernie Duff for this outstanding recognition of Heather's brief life.
April 4, 2005: In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Vietnam Babylift C5A Galaxy Crash, a Memorial Service was held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.
Several surviving crew members, including Pilot Denis Traynor, and Philip Wise participated in the ceremony. April 9, 2005: Lana Noone presents a Vietnam Babylift 30th Anniversary program at the Pearl S. Buck Institute in Perkasie, PA.
Lana's program commemorates the Babylift participation of Love The Children and Welcome House...both part of Pearl S. Buck International.
She is honored to help promote the legacy of Pearl S. Buck, who did so much to help international and transracial adoptees. April, 2005: World Airways announces Vietnam Babylift 30th Anniversary Trip to Vietnam, scheduled for June 12-17, 2005.
Twenty Vietnam Babylift adoptees, their guests, and former WOA Babylift crew members will participate in the Reunion.
For additional details, please contact Lana@Vietnambabylift.org. World Airways commemorated the 30th Anniversary of the Vietnam Babylift with an historic trip to Vietnam. The participants include 21 Babylift adoptees, their guests, Vietnam veterans who were involved in Babylift and World's Board of Directors.
During a reception at Vietnam's Unification Palace (formerly the Presidential Palace), the Babylift adoptees receive official recognition, and are welcomed back to Vietnam. Jennie and Lana Noone's memorial ceremony for Byron and Heather Noone is commemorated in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The ceremony includes music, verse and prayers and is attended by several Babylift adoptees. It is filmed for an upcoming documentary film and is written about in the New York Journal News. You may read the article by visiting the Journal News' website at
You may also access a Newsday article about Jennie and Lana, by visiting
Lana Noone presents a Vietnam Babylift 30th Anniversary Program for Farmingdale State University's Distinguished Speakers Series, State University of New York at Farmingdale, New York. November 10, 2005:
Lana Noone receives the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's Torch of Tomorrow Award for her work on behalf of the Vietnam Babylift community. December 30, 2005:
The Vietnam Babylift 30th Anniversary Awards Committee presents the Heather Constance Noone Memorial Award to several individuals and organizations for the Extraordinary Actions on Behalf of the Vietnam Babylift. The Award is presented on-line via the www.Vietnambabylift.org website.
The Byron Michael Noone Memorial Commendation is also presented via the www.Vietnambabylift.org website.
2006-09-25 06:59:48 · answer #1 · answered by scotty w 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋