abandonment was the rush at the U.S. embassy gates and the scene out of hell of thousands of Vietnamese; all wanting to leave their country. Divisions of North Vietnamese troops were girding outside Saigon, preparing for the final attack and most citizens inside Saigon realized that they had precious little time to escape. Many were even ready to sacrifice their a piece of their family and tried to get their children on the departing airplanes while they stayed behind. This was the advent of “Operation Babylift”. The United States also had a problem with hundreds of civilian and military personnel still in country. The United States had already begun airlifting our people out in early April. In addition, Operation Baby-Lift was in effect ...continued on page 4

Calif., and fly to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), returning June 17. The original Operation Babylift flight took 57 orphans out of Vietnam to families in the United States through the determination of World Airways and its dynamic president at that time, Edward J. Daly. Thousands more were to follow. With somewhat improved relations between Vietnam and the United States, Vietnam will welcome several adoptees from the Operation Babylift flights, to mark the 30-year anniversary of that history- making event.

Garners third straight award for excellence in maintenance
For the third consecutive year, Evergreen International Airways earned the Diamond Certificate of Excellence Award for Aviation Maintenance from the Federal Aviation Administration. Representatives of the FAA presented the national honor to EIA Senior Vice President of Maintenance, Tom Pitzer at the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Thirty-two Evergreen employees will receive individual bronze, silver and gold and ruby awards as well. The FAA’s Aviation Technician Awards Program applies to companies and individuals who excel in maintenance work and training on FAA type-certificated U.S. registered aircraft.

JFK IAT LLC, operator of Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport, announced that Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, the newest member of the terminal’s roster of nearly 50 airlines, launched the first nonstop service between New York and Bangkok. The 17- hour flight, to operate six days a week started May 1, 2005, and broke the record for the fastest direct flight between Thailand and the U.S. The New York-Bangkok nonstop flight is a major milestone in air travel. With the new long-range Airbus 340-500 aircraft, Thai is able to offer direct service in 17 hours, making it the only nonstop between Bangkok and New York, and the fastest flight of any carrier to the U.S., said Henk Guitjens, chief marketing officer of JFK IAT LLC. Mr. Kanok Abhiradee, Thai’s President said, “This is our first destination along the East coast, and we think it will prove very popular with leisure and business travelers from both the U.S. and Asia. We selected Terminal 4 as our New York gateway because of its commitment to excellence in serving customers, a longstanding tradition at Thai Airways.” Operating on the Airbus 340-500, Thai will offer 215 seats configured with 60 Royal Silk class seats, the new business class with sleeper seats, plus 42 Premium Economy class and 113 Economy class seats.

provide 24x7 injury care and drug and alcohol testing services.

muskuloskeletal disorders, sports medicine, joint replacement, and arthritis pain. Please call Kennedy Medical Offices at (718) 656-5344 for an appointment or more information.