One of the great things about Youtube are the feature length films and documentaries people upload. 2 days ago I managed to re-watch an award winning American made documentary that I had seen on PBS (the American public television network) on a visit to the US 3 years ago.
It follows a Vietnamese born Ameriasian girl who had been taken to the US on the terribly managed US Govt. programme- almost a scam- "Operation Stork." To win points with the voting public then President Ford ordered US Airforce C130s to ferry the children of US servicemen that had been left to rot in Vietnam by their asshole fathers to America. Many were orphans but some, like this girl, had loving mothers who were browbeaten by volunteer American social workers who had been flown into Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City today) to co-ordinate the bloody mess. In one infuriating clip you see a Mid-Western bred social worker telling this loving Vietnamese mother that she should convince all mothers of mixed-race children to surrender their children since "it's best for them." Then, as an afterthought she sees this woman's cherub like son, less than 3 years old, looks at him and says, "You're so adorable! Yes you are! Wouldn't you love to go to America? Yes you would!" She then turns to his mum and asks in a demanding way while smiling, "Would you like to send your son also? Can we take him?" Most SE Asians will smile when asked a question directly by a foreigner, a way of showing respect. You can see this mother's expression change when she pieces together what this woman is asking of her despite trying her best to maintain that smiling facade.
The programme had very early on switched from Ameriasians fathered by Americans to simply dealing with any cute child under the age of 8. Using private American adoption companies who began charging "processing fees" to manage this travesty, it erupted into big business. Women were told their children would be returned to Vietnam and their loving families when things got safer, and some like this girl's mum were told that America would soon be returning to the country to defeat the Communists and would be bringing the children with them. The only paperwork they were given was a single page mimeograph that told them to direct any and all inquiries to the US Government (suuuuuure).
This took place in 1975 just as Saigon was falling. The mother here had been told by other Vietnamese that when the Communists entered the city, in effect winning the war, they would execute all collaborators and likewise throw their mixed race offspring into bonfires. Between that manic gossip, shelling on the edges of the city and these browbeating Americans the woman in question surrendered her 6 year old daughter, "Hien."
The mother had been a married mother of 3 young children, almost infants, when her husband announced that he would be enlisting in the Southern Vietnamese military to "defend" their nation. Instead he joined the Viet Cong (Communist insurgents tied to the Northern Vietnanese). However she would not know what really took place until years later because after leaving to enlist he disappeared and had absolutely no contact.
With no family to speak of, and. Now without an iota of support for her small children she acted upon a friend's recommendation and took a job as a maid (almost a slave) on the US base at Danang. Within a month a US soldier whom she "worked for" brought over a co-worker who had learned just enough English to communicate basically. Using the co-worker as a translator the American said that if she "loved" him he would make sure the whole family ate. She complied and within weeks was pregnant. Two months after discovering that she was pregnant by her American lover he rotated out, probably to the US but she isn't sure since he never contacted her again. By the time her daughter was 6 Saigon was about to fall, fearing the rumors she surrendered her daughter to the American social workers and never heard another word.
Soon after Saigon fell her missing husband cum Viet Cong guerilla returned home. Though he knew of her infidelity he didn't blame her and they reconciled. As time went on though she missed her daughter terribly and sent an unanswered letter to the adoption agency in the US she had almost given up hope. Still, she always dreamed of her, imagined her life now and more than anything she longed for her.
When her daughter flew to the US she was adopted by a single woman, an academic originally from Tennessee then living in South Carolina. Eventually they moved to the adoptive mother's hometown of Pulaski, borthplace of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). Her mum became the dean of a Methodist College. Physically abused by the lifelong bachelorette (code for lesbian) life . While raised in a staid middle class existence but that was all about to change...
To be contnued
It follows a Vietnamese born Ameriasian girl who had been taken to the US on the terribly managed US Govt. programme- almost a scam- "Operation Stork." To win points with the voting public then President Ford ordered US Airforce C130s to ferry the children of US servicemen that had been left to rot in Vietnam by their asshole fathers to America. Many were orphans but some, like this girl, had loving mothers who were browbeaten by volunteer American social workers who had been flown into Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City today) to co-ordinate the bloody mess. In one infuriating clip you see a Mid-Western bred social worker telling this loving Vietnamese mother that she should convince all mothers of mixed-race children to surrender their children since "it's best for them." Then, as an afterthought she sees this woman's cherub like son, less than 3 years old, looks at him and says, "You're so adorable! Yes you are! Wouldn't you love to go to America? Yes you would!" She then turns to his mum and asks in a demanding way while smiling, "Would you like to send your son also? Can we take him?" Most SE Asians will smile when asked a question directly by a foreigner, a way of showing respect. You can see this mother's expression change when she pieces together what this woman is asking of her despite trying her best to maintain that smiling facade.
The programme had very early on switched from Ameriasians fathered by Americans to simply dealing with any cute child under the age of 8. Using private American adoption companies who began charging "processing fees" to manage this travesty, it erupted into big business. Women were told their children would be returned to Vietnam and their loving families when things got safer, and some like this girl's mum were told that America would soon be returning to the country to defeat the Communists and would be bringing the children with them. The only paperwork they were given was a single page mimeograph that told them to direct any and all inquiries to the US Government (suuuuuure).
This took place in 1975 just as Saigon was falling. The mother here had been told by other Vietnamese that when the Communists entered the city, in effect winning the war, they would execute all collaborators and likewise throw their mixed race offspring into bonfires. Between that manic gossip, shelling on the edges of the city and these browbeating Americans the woman in question surrendered her 6 year old daughter, "Hien."
The mother had been a married mother of 3 young children, almost infants, when her husband announced that he would be enlisting in the Southern Vietnamese military to "defend" their nation. Instead he joined the Viet Cong (Communist insurgents tied to the Northern Vietnanese). However she would not know what really took place until years later because after leaving to enlist he disappeared and had absolutely no contact.
With no family to speak of, and. Now without an iota of support for her small children she acted upon a friend's recommendation and took a job as a maid (almost a slave) on the US base at Danang. Within a month a US soldier whom she "worked for" brought over a co-worker who had learned just enough English to communicate basically. Using the co-worker as a translator the American said that if she "loved" him he would make sure the whole family ate. She complied and within weeks was pregnant. Two months after discovering that she was pregnant by her American lover he rotated out, probably to the US but she isn't sure since he never contacted her again. By the time her daughter was 6 Saigon was about to fall, fearing the rumors she surrendered her daughter to the American social workers and never heard another word.
Soon after Saigon fell her missing husband cum Viet Cong guerilla returned home. Though he knew of her infidelity he didn't blame her and they reconciled. As time went on though she missed her daughter terribly and sent an unanswered letter to the adoption agency in the US she had almost given up hope. Still, she always dreamed of her, imagined her life now and more than anything she longed for her.
When her daughter flew to the US she was adopted by a single woman, an academic originally from Tennessee then living in South Carolina. Eventually they moved to the adoptive mother's hometown of Pulaski, borthplace of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). Her mum became the dean of a Methodist College. Physically abused by the lifelong bachelorette (code for lesbian) life . While raised in a staid middle class existence but that was all about to change...
To be contnued