Operation New Life
Encyclopedia
Operation New Life was the U.S. military evacuation
of about 110,000 Southeast Asia
n refugee
s displaced by the Vietnam War
out of South Vietnam
.
Assaults by Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army defeated the South Vietnamese Army in 1975. Saigon fell
on April 30 of that year, ending a series of wars
which had plagued that country, with one brief interruption, since 1940. From 4 April to 3 September 1975, Operation New Life and Operation Babylift
, brought 111,919 refugees to the United States through Guam
, with 93,987 of these refugees receiving asylum
in the United States
. Madame Vu Thai Ngai and Betty Tisdale (Operation Babylift and Anloc Orphanage) became honored guests at Camp Mineron.
Airlifts from Saigon's Tan Son Nhat Airport unloaded at Andersen AFB
. Passengers were escorted to huge tent cities, where tents erected just hours before awaited them. Those who fled Vietnam by sea landed at the Naval Supply Station at Apra Harbor, Guam. First responders included personnel from Naval Station and Camp Covington CB Base. Tasked with providing food and shelter, Naval Station Tug Base base personnel improvised housing from abandoned warehouses of decommissioned Camp Minron with cots and supplies from the base emergency hurricane supplies, fed hundreds from plastic trash cans full of fish and rice from the base galley. Outside showers were made from a circle of metal lockers and fire hoses with sprinkler heads. The CB's set up Viet Nam style steel drum toilets, which were immediately overwhelmed.
C-141 Starlifter
and C-130 Hercules
aircrafts unloaded and personnel processed at NAS Agana, Brewer Field.
Tents were set up at Army-run Camp Orote on an abandoned airstrip. At its peak it held a population of 39,331. More than 90,000 refugees were processed there just weeks before Hurricane Pamela slammed ashore with winds in excess of 145 knots an hour.
The camp at Orote Point (called Camp Rainbow) was staffed by units from the U.S. 25th Infantry Division from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; initially under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Will H. Horn (April – May), and later of Colonel Jack O'Donohue (June – September). The command consisted of two infantry battalions, elements of the 25th Supply and Transport Battalion, a field hospital from San Antonio, Texas
, and intelligence teams. The total U.S. Army contingent consisted of approximately 2,000 soldiers.
American C-141s continued shuttling refugees into Guam throughout May, especially from Subic Bay
.
Some 40% of those transiting Guam were from Vietnam's ethnic Chinese population. Other groups disproportionately represented were the South Vietnamese military and civil service, many of whom would have faced imprisonment and reeducation camp
s had they remained. Those made suspect by their international education also departed---by one count, Vietnam lost 2/3 of its physicians in less than a month.
The Canadian Government established a presence on Guam, announcing they too would accept refugees. English speaking immigrants to Canada were upsetting a political balance between Quebec
and its English-speaking provinces; because Vietnam's colonial language had been French, the Canadian Government sought, found and accepted French-speaking, professionally educated refugees.
Assistance to Operation New Life was provided by the volunteer organization Australian Society for Intercountry Aid (A.S.I.A.); its, medical director, Dr. John Whitehall, operated a clinic in Guam's Tokyu Hotel for most of the month of May 1975. A dozen volunteer A.S.I.A. nurses served at Orote Point under US Military command. The A.S.I.A. contribution arose from a request made in Saigon in April 1975 by Dr. Irons of USAID to Australian ex-Army officer Michael Darby for the recruitment of Australian medical volunteers to assist with the expected rush of refugees.
During the second phase of the operation, 1,546 "politically sensitive" refugees were kept under guard in a separate part of camp. All were former Viet Cong caught up in the mass migration; they returned to Vietnam on the M/V Thung Tin One at their own request. These former Viet Cong were offloaded onto life rafts by US Navy personnel a short distance off the coast and instructed to paddle back to Vietnam. They did so, too, after first stripping off their US-issued clothing and jettisoning US provided relief supplies.
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
of about 110,000 Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s displaced by the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
out of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
.
Assaults by Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army defeated the South Vietnamese Army in 1975. Saigon fell
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
on April 30 of that year, ending a series of wars
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
which had plagued that country, with one brief interruption, since 1940. From 4 April to 3 September 1975, Operation New Life and Operation Babylift
Operation Babylift
Operation Babylift was the name given to the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the United States and other countries at the end of the Vietnam War , from April 3–26, 1975...
, brought 111,919 refugees to the United States through Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, with 93,987 of these refugees receiving asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Madame Vu Thai Ngai and Betty Tisdale (Operation Babylift and Anloc Orphanage) became honored guests at Camp Mineron.
Airlifts from Saigon's Tan Son Nhat Airport unloaded at Andersen AFB
Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
. Passengers were escorted to huge tent cities, where tents erected just hours before awaited them. Those who fled Vietnam by sea landed at the Naval Supply Station at Apra Harbor, Guam. First responders included personnel from Naval Station and Camp Covington CB Base. Tasked with providing food and shelter, Naval Station Tug Base base personnel improvised housing from abandoned warehouses of decommissioned Camp Minron with cots and supplies from the base emergency hurricane supplies, fed hundreds from plastic trash cans full of fish and rice from the base galley. Outside showers were made from a circle of metal lockers and fire hoses with sprinkler heads. The CB's set up Viet Nam style steel drum toilets, which were immediately overwhelmed.
C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
and C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
aircrafts unloaded and personnel processed at NAS Agana, Brewer Field.
Tents were set up at Army-run Camp Orote on an abandoned airstrip. At its peak it held a population of 39,331. More than 90,000 refugees were processed there just weeks before Hurricane Pamela slammed ashore with winds in excess of 145 knots an hour.
The camp at Orote Point (called Camp Rainbow) was staffed by units from the U.S. 25th Infantry Division from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; initially under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Will H. Horn (April – May), and later of Colonel Jack O'Donohue (June – September). The command consisted of two infantry battalions, elements of the 25th Supply and Transport Battalion, a field hospital from San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, and intelligence teams. The total U.S. Army contingent consisted of approximately 2,000 soldiers.
American C-141s continued shuttling refugees into Guam throughout May, especially from Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
.
Some 40% of those transiting Guam were from Vietnam's ethnic Chinese population. Other groups disproportionately represented were the South Vietnamese military and civil service, many of whom would have faced imprisonment and reeducation camp
Reeducation camp
Reeducation camp is the official title given to the prison camps operated by the government of Vietnam following the end of the Vietnam War. In such "reeducation camps", the government imprisoned several hundred thousand former military officers and government workers from the former regime of...
s had they remained. Those made suspect by their international education also departed---by one count, Vietnam lost 2/3 of its physicians in less than a month.
The Canadian Government established a presence on Guam, announcing they too would accept refugees. English speaking immigrants to Canada were upsetting a political balance between Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and its English-speaking provinces; because Vietnam's colonial language had been French, the Canadian Government sought, found and accepted French-speaking, professionally educated refugees.
Assistance to Operation New Life was provided by the volunteer organization Australian Society for Intercountry Aid (A.S.I.A.); its, medical director, Dr. John Whitehall, operated a clinic in Guam's Tokyu Hotel for most of the month of May 1975. A dozen volunteer A.S.I.A. nurses served at Orote Point under US Military command. The A.S.I.A. contribution arose from a request made in Saigon in April 1975 by Dr. Irons of USAID to Australian ex-Army officer Michael Darby for the recruitment of Australian medical volunteers to assist with the expected rush of refugees.
During the second phase of the operation, 1,546 "politically sensitive" refugees were kept under guard in a separate part of camp. All were former Viet Cong caught up in the mass migration; they returned to Vietnam on the M/V Thung Tin One at their own request. These former Viet Cong were offloaded onto life rafts by US Navy personnel a short distance off the coast and instructed to paddle back to Vietnam. They did so, too, after first stripping off their US-issued clothing and jettisoning US provided relief supplies.