DIA Connections - Season 3 - Episode 1: Operation Babylift - Tragedy & Triumph

In April 1975, South Vietnam was on the verge of collapse. As North
Vietnamese forces advanced towards Saigon, orphaned babies adopted
by American families needed a way out. President Gerald Ford
initiated Operation Babylift, a mass evacuation humanitarian
mission that ultimately saved thousands of lives. On this episode
of DIA Connections, we examine the Defense Intelligence Agency’s
successful rescue mission, despite its tragic start when the first
plane leaving Saigon crashed, killing 138 of the 316 on board,
including five DIA employees. We spoke with two survivors who
shared their emotional stories of that fateful day, the pilot, Col.
Dennis “Bud” Traynor and medical crew director Regina Aune. You’ll
also hear from two of the babies who were airlifted to safety and
as adults have honored their past in very different ways. One
writes and sings about his life as an adoptee, the other works for
the Agency that helped bring her to America, the DIA.