Operation Babylift: An Adoptee’s Perspectives on the Vietnam War

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Operation Babylift

Mahli Xuan Mechenbier was adopted from South Vietnam through Operation Babylift after an American missionary nun found her next to a road outside of Saigon. Often categorized as a “humanitarian mission” by the United States government, Operation Babylift—which evacuated over 3,000 children during and after the Fall of Saigon—can also be characterized as controversial as definitions of “refugee,” “adoption,” and “identity” are evaluated and scrutinized. 

Come share the experiences of an adoptee who arrived to the United States on the Lift and participate in a discussion regarding citizenship, ethnicity, and perspective. 

Mahli Xuan Mechenbier

Mahli Xuan Mechenbier teaches Technical Writing, Professional Writing, Introduction to LGBT Literature, and College Writing at Kent State University: Geauga. Mahli graduated with a Master of Arts in English Literature from John Carroll University and a Juris Doctor from The University of Akron. She was the recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences 43rd annual Distinguished Teacher Award in 2012.

Her research interests include asynchronous online tone and communication methods; how academic administrations manage and budget distance learning; the unionization of professors; and the employment conditions and intellectual property rights of contingent faculty members. She enjoys teaching the professional aspects of writing and stresses the importance of word choice, soft skills, and accurate language delivery in her classes. Prof. Mechenbier has been teaching at Kent State University since 2003.

When? March 23rd, 5:00pm

Where? Asian American Cultural Center (Student Union 424)

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