ENDED, BUT THE FORD
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED EDD THE
LAUNCH OF OPERATION BABYLIFT.
>> PRESIDENT FORD DISCLOSED HE’S
ORDERED THE AIR FORCE TO FLY
SOME OF ITS C-5A TRANSPORTS TO
SAIGON WITHIN THE NEXT TWO DAYS
TO PICK UP 2,000 SOUTH
VIETNAMESE ORPHANS ALREADY
ADOPTED BY AMERICAN FAMILIES.
>> Reporter: THE FIRST C-5 OF
OPERATION BABYLIFT LANDED IN
VIETNAM ON APRIL 4th, 1975.
THE AIR FORCE MEDICAL KREEDIRECT
ON THE FLY, COLONEL ONI.
>> TAKE 300 PEOPLE OUT OF
SAIGON, AND MOST OF THEM ARE
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 2.
>> Reporter: LIEUTENANT ONI
IMMEDIATELY SET TO PREPPING THE
PLANE FOR ITS PRECIOUS CARGO.
THERE WAS A MOMENT WHEN, BEFORE
FLIGHT, YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
TO HOLD AND LOOK AT EACH BABY.
>> YEAH, I DID.
I DID.
I TOOK THEM FROM WHOEVER WAS
BRINGING THEM ON BOARD.
THEY HANDED ME THE BABY, THEN I
HANDED THE BABY TO THE NEXT
PERSON.
UNTIL WE FILLED IT UP.
>> Reporter: THE PLANE TOOK OFF
FOR A BASE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
THE FIRST 20 MINUTES, LARGELY
UNEVENTFUL.
TELL ME ABOUT THE MOMENT THAT
EVERYTHING CHANGED ON THE PLANE.
>> I’M KNEELING ON THE FLOOR OF
THE BACK OF THE PLANE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THIS LOUD BANG.
ALL THE INSULATION FROM THE
AIRCRAFT STARTED FLYING AROUND.
>> Reporter: THE LOCKS ON THE
REAR CARGO RAMP FAILED, CAUSING
THE BACK DOORS TO BURST OPEN AT
23,000 FEET, TRIGGERING A
DEVASTATING, RAPID
DECOMPRESSION.
>> THERE IS AN OPEN GRATE WHERE
I WAS KNEELING.
YOU CAN LOOK DOWN INTO THE CARGO
COMPARTMENT.
WHAT I SAW WAS THE SOUTH CHINA
SEA
SEA, SO THE WHOLE BACK END OF
THE PLANE --
>> BLOWN OFF?
>> KSHIT WAS GONE.
>> Reporter: THE PILOTS TRIED
EVERYTHING TO STEER BACK TO THE
AIRPORT, BUT THEY CRASHED INTO A
RICE PATTY JUST SHORT OF THE
AIRFIELD.
>> I WENT SAILING DOWN THE
FLOOR, AND I COULD FEEL THE
BONES IN THIS FOOT BREAKING.
>> Reporter: LIEUTENANT ONI
CRAWLED OUT TO A NIGHTMARISH
SCENE.
THE PLANE STILL BURNING HAD
BROKEN UP INTO FOUR SECTIONS,
BUT HER TRAINING IMMEDIATELY
KICKED IN.
SHE WORKED TO GET THE BABIES OUT
TO THE HELICOPTERS THAT HAD
ARRIVED TO HELP.
YOU WERE CARRYING BABIES OFF
THAT PLANE THROUGH THE MUD.
AT SOME POINT, YOU COULDN’T DO
IT ANYMORE.
>> RIGHT.
I WALKED OVER TO THE NAVIGATOR,
MAJOR WALLACE, AND I SAID TO
HIM, SIR, REQUEST TO BE RELIEVED
OF DUTY BECAUSE MY INJURIES
PREVENT ME FROM CONTINUING, AND
PROMPTLY FAINTED ON HIM.
>> Reporter: 138 PASSENGERS DIED
ON THE FLIGHT THAT LASTED JUST
20 MINUTES.
78 OF THEM WERE CHILDREN.
LIEUTENANT ONI AMONG THE MANY
INJURED, WITH A BROKEN FOOT,
FRACTURED SPINE, AND A PUNCTURE
WOUND TO HER LEG.
WHILE SHE PHYSICALLY RECOVERED
AND WENT ON TO RISE TO THE RANK
OF COLONEL, SHE NEVER FORGOT THE
TINIEST OF PASSENGERS ON HER
FLIGHT THAT DAY.
DID YOU EVER WONDER WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE BABIES THAT DAY?
>> OH, ALL THE TIME.
>> Reporter: ONE DAY, YOU GOT A
CALL.
>> I REMEMBER WHAT SHE SAID.
SHE SAID, "COLONEL ONI, I’VE
BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR
GIVING ME MY LIFE."
>> Reporter: ON THE OTHER LINE,
ERIN LOCKHART.
APRIL 4th, 1975, WHERE DO YOU
BELIEVE YOU WERE?
>> MY PARENTS HAVE ALWAYS TOLD
ME, AND THEY ALWAYS BELIEVED,
THAT I WAS A PART OF THE CRASH
THAT HAPPENED ON THE INAUGURAL
FLIGHT OF OPERATION BABYLIFT.
>> Reporter: AFTER THE CRASH,
ERIN WAS ADOPTED IN THE U.S.
IN 1997, THE EARLY DAYS OF THE
INTERNET, SHE SEARCHED FOR
INFORMATION ON THE FLIGHT AND
CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE ABOUT
COLONEL ONI.
DETERMINED TO CONNECT WITH THIS
HEROIC FIGURE, LOCKHART TRACKED
DOWN HER PHONE NUMBER.
>> I WAS JUST OVERWHELMED THEN.
I REFLECTED, AND I THOUGHT, I
PROBABLY HELD HER.
>> Reporter: THE TWO EVENTUALLY
MET IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR
DINNER.
RESCUER AND THE RESCUED.
>> WE WERE EXCHANGING STORIES
AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
AND OPENING, YOU KNOW, UP TO
EACH OTHER SLOWLY.
>> Reporter: A FRIENDSHIP BEGAN,
CRADLED IN THEIR SHARED HISTORY,
AND GROWING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS
AS THEY MOVED TO THE SAME TOWN.
ERIN BEGAN TO WORK FOR THE AIR
FORCE.
IT TOOK YEARS, TIME, A LOT OF
MEETINGS, BUT EVENTUALLY, YOU
AND YOUR LATE HUSBAND, BJORN,
SAID TO ERIN, CALL US MOM AND
DAD.
>> YES.
MY HUSBAND BROUGHT IT UP TO HER.
>> HOW DID YOU FEEL, ERIN, WHEN
THEY SAID, "CALL US MOM AND
DAD."
>> IT WAS A REALLY BIG DEAL.
SHE WAS MOVING TO SAN ANTONIO,
SO I STARTED REFERRING TO HER AS
MY SAN ANTONIO MOM, THEN MY SAN
ANTONIO DAD.
>> Reporter: WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP, MOTHER,
IT MEANS SO MUCH.
YOU REDEFINED IT, IN A WAY.
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT MY
DAUGHTERS AND ERIN THE SAME, IN
MANY WAYS.
IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE HER NOT
BEING A PART OF MY LIFE.
MOTHERHOOD IS MORE THAN JUST
GIVING BIRTH, IT’S NURTURING AND
LOVING AND IT CAN HAPPEN ANY
TIME.
I MEAN --
>> I SEE MANY FORMS OF
MOTHERHOOD.
MY BIRTH MOM HAD THE TOUGH
DECISION TO PUT ME UP FOR
ADOPTION.
SISTER URSULA TAKING CARE OF ME
IN THE ORPHANAGE.
LATER IN LIFE, THIS RELATIONSHIP
FORMED AND IT IS A FORM OF
MOTHERHOOD.
I’M A MOTHER, TOO, AND IT TAKES
ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING.
>> Reporter: ERIN CELEBRATED HER
FIRST MOTHER’S DAY THIS WEEKEND,
ADOPTING THREE GIRLS HERSELF
LAST FALL.
THEY CALL COLONEL II MORMOR,
NORWEGIAN FOR GRANDMA.
>> I DECIDED I WANTED TO FOSTER,
AND BACK IN SEPTEMBER, I ADOPTED
MY THREE GIRLS.
IT’S BEEN LIFE-CHANGING, AND I
COULDN’T BE HAPPIER.
I FELT LIKE IT WAS JUST THE WAY
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.
>> Reporter: YOU FOUND YOUR
BABIES.
>> I DID.
I DID.
>> SWEET GOD.
>> THE STORY COULD GO ON AND ON.
IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL
RELATIONSHIP.
WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT IT, IT
TOOK TIME.
IT WASN’T LIKE, OVERNIGHT, WE’RE
CALLING YOU MOM AND DAD.
NO, IT TOOK YEARS AND YEARS AND
QUIET STEPS AND CLOSENESS.
THEY ACTUALLY WENT BACK TO
VIETNAM TOGETHER, COLONEL ONI
AND ERIN WENT BACK.
ERIN ACTUALLY HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE GRAVE
SITE OF SISTER URSULA, WHO IS
VERY DEAR TO HER IN THIS STORY,
AS WELL.
SISTER URSULA WAS THE NUN WHO
CARED FOR HER AND ACCOMPANIED
HER, WHO PERISHED IN THE FLIGHT.
ERIN SAYS THAT THE OTHER NUNS
SAID, YOU WERE SISTER URSULA’S
LAST BEST BABY.
>> OH!
>> YES, IT IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL
STORY.
>> SO BEAUTIFUL.
>> REMARKABLE.
>> BY THE WAY, FOR HER ACT OF
VALOR, COLONEL ONI WAS THE FIRST
AND SO FAR THE ONLY WOMAN TO
RECEIVE THE CHENEY AWARD FROM
THE AIR FORCE.
YEARS AGO, ERIN WROTE A BOOK
CHRONICLING THE STORY,
"OPERATION BABYLIFT."
>> I NEED TO SEE THE MOVIE.