An American soldier from inside the helicopter grabbed my tiny hand. On my back, I had my little girl, Xuan Nga. To make matters even more difficult, I was three months pregnant.

My body was swinging in the air outside the helicopter. My husband, with our son, Qu c Trang, on his back, was tied to my wrist and, with his other hand, clung to my ankle. As our helicopter began to lift off in the dark, those who could not get onboard grabbed the landing gear and clung to it, only to lose their grip as the helicopter rose high into the sky and headed out to sea.

My husband and I touched...

An American soldier from inside the helicopter grabbed my tiny hand. On my back, I had my little girl, Xuan Nga. To make matters even more difficult, I was three months pregnant.

My body was swinging in the air outside the helicopter. My husband, with our son, Qu c Trang, on his back, was tied to my wrist and, with his other hand, clung to my ankle. As our helicopter began to lift off in the dark, those who could not get onboard grabbed the landing gear and clung to it, only to lose their grip as the helicopter rose high into the sky and headed out to sea.

My husband and I touched...