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The Pan Am Museum Foundation
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation &
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum

INVITE YOU TO ATTEND

THE 50th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF 

OPERATION BABYLIFT


Babylift 50th Anniv Event at Pan Am Museum Foundation

In April 1975, Operation BabyLift became a beacon of hope during the Vietnam War, evacuating thousands of Vietnamese war orphans to safety. Pan Am played a crucial role in this monumental humanitarian effort, showcasing its enduring legacy of service and compassion.

Join us, as we honor the remarkable individuals who made Operation BabyLift possible and celebrate the indomitable human spirit that continues to inspire generations.

This historic event will bring together adoptees evacuated from Saigon during the final days of the Vietnam War with the Pan Am flight crews, military veterans, medical personnel, and volunteers who made these life-saving missions possible.

Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM EDT
Location: Pan Am Museum Foundation in Garden City

For Tickets & Info: Including lodging and directions, go to

 

Al Topping-Speaker, for the Operation Babylift 50th Anniversary at the Pan Am Museum
Photos: Courtesy of Guest Speaker, PAHF's Al Topping.

• Guest Speaker: Al Topping, Pan Am’s Director of South Vietnam & Cambodia, will recount his pivotal role in organizing these extraordinary evacuation flights and the last days of Pan Am operating in South Vietnam.
• Keynote Speaker: Steve Ford, son of President Gerald R. Ford, will share personal reflections on his father’s leadership and legacy orchestrating this unprecedented humanitarian effort.
• Special Guest: Peter Greenberg, Emmy-winning journalist and CBS News Travel Editor, will provide unique insights into the legacy of Operation BabyLift and events related to the crash of the military C5A charter on April 4, 1975 that set the stage and led to Pan Am's involvement in the mission.
• Honored Guests: Adoptees, adoptive parents, Pan Am flight attendants, military veterans, medical personnel, and ground staff who played vital roles in the mission.
• Exclusive Access: Representatives from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library will offer a behind-the-scenes look at President Ford’s leadership in launching Operation BabyLift, the largest evacuation of its kind during an active war.
• Media Opportunity: Key figures, including Al Topping, adoptees, and representatives of the Pan Am Museum Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, will be available for interviews.

 For more information, including lodging and directions, please visit https://www.thepanammuseum.org/events/operation-babylift/

Pres. Gerald Ford carries a Vietnamese baby from Pan Am Clipper during Operation BabyLift, April 3-26, 1975

President Gerald R. Ford carries a Vietnamese baby from “Clipper 1742," one of the planes that transported approximately 325 South Vietnamese orphans from Saigon to the United States. Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library, photographer David Hume Kennerly.

Learn More About Operation Babylift

Gerald R. Ford Library: Operation Babylift Artifacts
https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/galleries/operation-babylift-artifacts

"Last Flight from Saigon", by Valerie Lester. Reprinted from Fasten Your Seat Belts: History and Heroism in the Pan Am Cabin 

Pan Am Podcast by the Pan Am Museum:
Episode 42: Operation Babylift: The 1975 Saigon Evacuation
https://podcast.thepanammuseum.org/1836491/episodes/14015517

Episode 4: Evacuation of Saigon, Wings of Freedom Mission (Al Topping)
 
Transporting Troops And Evacuating Babies, Pan Am Was in Vietnam From Beginning To End
 
Wings of Freedom, a book by Al Topping: 

 

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