In 1975, President Ford urged the nation to welcome Vietnamese refugees rescued in Operations New Life and Babylift.
Grand Rapids became home for many, including the parents of Son Tran.
“My dad was at the time only about eight years old during the Fall of Saigon, but three of his older brothers and his father were in the army of the Republic of Vietnam.”
They endured punishment and hardship after the war, eventually escaping to the U.S. and joining a welcoming West Michigan Vietnamese community of refugees.
Tran was born in Michigan, attended East Kentwood High School and later West Point Military Academy, then served in the Army, eager to give back to the country that gave his family so much.
“Some people might think it's better to forget and move on, but I think remembering is a part of the healing. It's learning to except what happened and also learning to see the good things that came out of it because many people had to flee our homes, yes, but we've built new lives as well and given new opportunities to our children and we formed our own special community over here.”
Tran is one of the speakers’ sharing stories as descendants of those rescued in an event at the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids Friday, May 9th from 6:30-9. It is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the museum’s website.
It is through partnerships with the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Vietnamese American Community of West Michigan, Kentwood Public Schools, West Michigan Asian American Association, Pan Am Museum Foundation, Eastern Floral, and Kim Nhung Superstore.
