Meador, Ross

Ross Meador was born August 23, 1954 in Mexico. Ross recalls that his parents were liberal in their outlooks, moving between Texas and California in his early years. Ross graduated from high school in 1972 and while there he witnessed the countercultural movement that was at that time enveloping much of the United States. Ross belonged to two groups: the Liberal Religious Youth (LRY) and the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS): they allowed him to express his antiwar ethos while he wondered about what he would do in the event he was drafted. Ross wanted to go to Vietnam to help the orphans there, many of whom would have been fathered by American soldiers. He learned of an organization in Colorado that shared this belief so he hitchhiked there. They helped him to get a round-trip ticket and visa, and with that Ross flew Pan Am Airways to Saigon. He was fortunate to meet several women who worked at an orphanage, and they were instrumental in putting him on his path. In order to form an agency, Ross had to obtain a Vietnam license to work with orphans – he had no prior experience with children or the bureaucracy.  He was persistent and learned though, including that there was a foster care process for adoption. He did what he could to supply the orphanages and care for the children, and that often meant putting himself in danger – Vietnam still was a war zone after all. The American forces withdrew in 1973, and the situation became more volatile after 1974-1975 as Vietnam fell into a civil war. The deteriorating situation necessitated what became known as Operation Babylift in April 1975. The US Embassy waived visa and passport requirements but did not assist with a flight; Ed Daly with World Airways was willing to take that risk though. On a wing and a prayer, that flight successfully took off in the dark and 57 orphans were transported to the US safely. There was a terrible accident on a subsequent flight where a C5A cargo plane’s back door exploded and the plane crashed in a rice paddy: 350 of the 700 passengers – many children – were killed on that flight. The last baby lift was April 28, 1975, but Ross had stayed behind as he hoped to distribute supplies to other orphanages. By this time the final Battle of Saigon was on, and Ross headed for the US Embassy, where he left from the rooftop. He boarded a Chinook and flew to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier off the coast. Ross was given a choice of where to go next, and he chose Bangkok, Thailand – where he resumed his around-the-world journey. Crestwood students had the good fortune to interview Ross Meador and Vietnam veteran Al Smith in May 2026.