One of the many influences on the play Hungry Ghosts was Operation Babylift, which was the mass evacuation of children from Vietnam during the war. In April 1975, over 3,000 Vietnamese children, most of them under the age of eight, were airlifted from Saigon and sent to adoptive families in the United States and other countries. This was an attempt to rescue children from the approaching North Vietnamese army, amid terrible rumors about what the North Vietnamese would do to the children, especially children fathered by American G.I.s. We’ve all seen films, both
real and fictional, of the fall of Saigon, and we know it was a time of desperation. The planes were crowded. The smallest babies traveled in cardboard boxes. Frequently, a lack of complete documentation contributed to the confusion, and some children arrived in the US without any information about their identity or even their age, just an ID number assigned during the trip.
Families in America and other countries waited to adopt these children and give them new homes. News footage shows the orphans and their temporary guardians in giant, echoing rooms (gymnasiums? auditoriums?) waiting to be claimed by the adoptive parents. The scene is noisy, crowded and confusing. I can only imagine how terrifying it was to be a small child, snatched from your home, speaking no English, handed over to complete strangers. It’s like a scene in a techno fairy tale.
The operation was controversial, as international and cross-cultural adoptions still are. Some people called it a great humanitarian mission, while others accused the US government of childnapping. Many critics accused President Gerald Ford of a last-ditch effort to gain sympathy for a failed war.
Many of the children were genuine orphans whose children had been killed in the war. However, many others were not orphans, but children whose mothers wanted to give them a better life in the United States. In some cases, the women didn’t fully understand that the children would be adopted by other families. I have watched documentary footage of an American aid worker, a wholesome young blonde, cheerfully trying to persuaded Vietnamese mothers to give her their babies. “You give me your baby,” she says loudly. “I take him to America. He be American boy, okay?” The women laugh at first, assuming it’s a joke, but as they realize she’s serious, fear creeps over their faces. It’s appalling to watch this nice young American girl trying to steal babies. It’s even worse to know that so many women did give away their babies, trying to protect them. I can’t imagine a more heart-breaking decision.
If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend a couple of excellent documentaries, Precious Cargo and The Daughter from Danang.
real and fictional, of the fall of Saigon, and we know it was a time of desperation. The planes were crowded. The smallest babies traveled in cardboard boxes. Frequently, a lack of complete documentation contributed to the confusion, and some children arrived in the US without any information about their identity or even their age, just an ID number assigned during the trip.Families in America and other countries waited to adopt these children and give them new homes. News footage shows the orphans and their temporary guardians in giant, echoing rooms (gymnasiums? auditoriums?) waiting to be claimed by the adoptive parents. The scene is noisy, crowded and confusing. I can only imagine how terrifying it was to be a small child, snatched from your home, speaking no English, handed over to complete strangers. It’s like a scene in a techno fairy tale.
The operation was controversial, as international and cross-cultural adoptions still are. Some people called it a great humanitarian mission, while others accused the US government of childnapping. Many critics accused President Gerald Ford of a last-ditch effort to gain sympathy for a failed war.
Many of the children were genuine orphans whose children had been killed in the war. However, many others were not orphans, but children whose mothers wanted to give them a better life in the United States. In some cases, the women didn’t fully understand that the children would be adopted by other families. I have watched documentary footage of an American aid worker, a wholesome young blonde, cheerfully trying to persuaded Vietnamese mothers to give her their babies. “You give me your baby,” she says loudly. “I take him to America. He be American boy, okay?” The women laugh at first, assuming it’s a joke, but as they realize she’s serious, fear creeps over their faces. It’s appalling to watch this nice young American girl trying to steal babies. It’s even worse to know that so many women did give away their babies, trying to protect them. I can’t imagine a more heart-breaking decision.
If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend a couple of excellent documentaries, Precious Cargo and The Daughter from Danang.
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