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Welcome Veterans, Amerasians, mothers & others searching for loved ones lost in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. |
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Many of you may know us from our former website "Sao Mai - Morning Star of Asia" at zyworld.com. Due to changes at zyworld it was necessary to relocate and build again. I feel that the new name correctly represents the website & mission of our site. The goal of this site is to bring about reunification of families created & seperated by the war in Vietnam. We welcome Vietnamese Veterans, Amerasian children of Veterans, mothers of Amerasian children and all others to participate and contribute to our site. 
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This photo is courtesy of corbis.com. To find out information regarding identity of anyone in these pictures please contact corbis.com. |
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Mission Statement To facilitate the building of a network and chain of information to be used for the reunification of families separated when US Armed Forces left Vietnam and Saigon fell.
When the remaining US troops left Vietnam on April 30, 1975, ten of thousands of children of the American Armed Forces were left behind. Estimates reaching as high as 50,000.
Fathers who were still left in Saigon made what arrangements could be made for families they were aware of. While others were unable to make any arrangements or did not know of children they had.
Operation "Baby Lift" saved as many Amerasian children that were in their care as was possible before being ordered to pull out. Nurses and staff of orphanages racing against a clock in an effort to evacuate children and infants as the news spread through South Vietnam that Saigon would fall. Children left to them by mothers fearing for both the safety of the child and themselves.
In desperation and fear of the approaching North Vietnamese, mothers destroyed records of marriage, birth & other documentation that could have been used against them when the new government took over. Fear not just for their own safety but for the safety of the fathers if by some chance they had been left behind.
Families that had been knowingly and unknowingly created by a war were torn apart. The link that had once been there, the war, having disintegrated as the final helicopter left.
The children they had left behind were subject to persecution & hatred by those their fathers had fought against and with and by a country that had been abandoned.
Children of American heritage often received little or no education. Many learning only to write their name.
The only knowledge many had of their fathers came from photographs mothers had secreted away. Photographs of young men in uniforms that had fought for their country and freedom. Photos saved by mothers wishing to show their child that they indeed had a father.
As the years passed, many would flee Vietnam in search of a better life. Fleeing on boats to destinations unknown. Arriving in refugee camps where often they would wait for years before reaching their final destinations. The Phillipnes became home of one of the largest refugee camps for Vietnamese/Americans.
The Amerasian children of American servicemen are now mature adults with families and children of their own.
Relationships with Vietnam have begun to normalize in the last few years. Trade has been opened with the US and other foreign countries. What remains to be opened still are the doors to communications that were sealed shut when Saigon fell. Communication resources for the reunification of families created & torn apart by the Vietnam War.
It is my sincere hope and desire that with the opening of this website a much needed link in the chain of information will be created that will defy the impossible and reunite families once again.
Sincerely yours,
Laura Fay Speasmaker
It is important to remember that while we generally think of Vietnamese of mixed parentage as being Amerasian, that there were other countries who provided military support to Vietnam as well. We invite the Veterans, children and families of these countries to participate in this website and to feel welcome here.
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