My object is a Vietnam passport. It was my step mother’s, and was included in her file of paperwork when she was adopted from Vietnam. She was adopted in 1974, and was part of operation babylift. Operation babylift was a program to get Vietnamese orphans and foster kids out of the war zone. She was originally supposed to be on plane one, but due to likely an error in paperwork, she wasn’t. Operation babylift’s plane one ended up crashing into the countryside, killing many of children and babies on board. She came over on plane two, and was taken home by her new family to South Saint Paul, where she would start her life in America. My step mom loves Asian food, especially Vietnamese food, and a lot of Asian artwork. The passport is significant to me because without it, she wouldn’t have left Vietnam. The passport and a folder of papers are the only things she has to connect back to Vietnam. My step mom plays a huge role in forming who I am as a person through her funny personality and all the nerdy stuff we she does with me.

– Max Owens

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant