>>5385144 Mass 'evacuation' of children from S. Vietnam to various parts of the World. (pb/nb)
Inside Operation Babylift: Incredible pictures show planes packed with 'orphaned' babies fleeing war-torn Vietnam for adoption by U.S. families
By Hannah Parry 22 Sep 2016
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The US airlifted thousands of children out of Saigon in 1975 in what came to be known as Operation Babylift
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Some 3,000 'orphans' were flown out of Vietnam to be adopted by families in the final days of Vietnam War
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There were so babies that infants would secured with cargo netting or placed in cardboard bassinets
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Other children were strapped into seats while some were allowed to crawl around on the floor of the plane
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The first Babylift Operation flight had crashed on April 4 killing 138 passengers - including 78 children
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Evacuations were controversial as many questioned whether the children were really without any family
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Many Babylift children are still trying to find biological family and others have filed lawsuits against U.S.
There were so many evacuations that infants would outnumber the volunteers on the aircraft who were forced to think on their feet and use the materials on hand to turn planes into makeshift nurseries.
Once arriving in the United States, the planes would be met by medical teams who treated babies at the airport for a series if illnesses, from severe dehydration to chicken pox. The most serious were rushed to hospital.
As soon as they were recovered, the children would go to one of the three processing centers before being sent to a waiting adoptive family.
Many private jet owners volunteers their planes to help with the effort including Playboy Bunny publisher Hugh Hefner.
Around 2,000 of the children went to the U.S. while others went to Australia, Canada and Europe.