Latest news with #USSMidwayMuseum
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
50 years later: Refugee shares her story of survival as USS Midway crucial in rescuing thousands after Fall of Saigon
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — All week, people across the country and in San Diego are remembering the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. The USS Midway took part in one of its most daring missions in history, Operation Frequent Wind, and became the first stop to freedom for more than 3,000 Vietnamese refugees that began April 29, 1975. USS Midway Museum commemorates 50th anniversary of Fall of Saigon The USS Midway was stationed off the coast of Vietnam during that time. 'My dad said, 'let's go, get ready,'' recalled Stephanie Dinh. Dinh fled South Vietnam on that day with her five siblings and parents. Her father was part of the South Vietnamese Army and when word broke that Saigon was about to fall to the North Communist forces, she and her family were among thousands fleeing their homeland with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. 'I had three very close friends. It's very hard as kids and you feel you want to tell them, 'I might never see you again,' said Dinh. Veteran returns to Vietnam, finds peace with former enemy She and her family escaped on a helicopter and landed on the flight deck of the USS Midway where she and other evacuees were fed and treated with medical care. 'It was complete pandemonium,' said USS Midway Museum Historian, Karl Zingheim, of the pilots that were fleeing with families crammed inside their cabins. 'None of them had been trained on shipboard operations, so how are you going to handle people you probably can't talk to on the radio. There's no air traffic control. They've got helicopters that are dangerously overloaded,' he said. The Midway crew stopped at nothing to clear the flight deck and accept as many helicopters as possible, including a pilot who crammed his family of seven into a small Cessna and showed up the following day asking the crew to clear the deck of helicopters so he could land. Full special: Vietnam – A Lost Generation Dinh recalls the crew pushing helicopters into the water with their bare hands so they could create space for him to land his family. 'I saw them pushing them over the flight deck. I saw them floating and they sink really fast. I said wow, what is this, what is going on? And I hear all this screaming and yelling on the flight deck and here comes another one after another one and then here comes a plane coming in,' Dinh said. That safe landing would become a symbol of courage and hope for so many Vietnamese families as they started a new life. 'Every time I see the ship I kind of relive that day when it was out there waiting for us,' said Dinh. 'I don't look back. This is my country. I move forward, and I repay what they have given me.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
USS Midway Museum commemorates 50th anniversary of Fall of Saigon
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The USS Midway hosted a day of courage and remembrance Sunday. It was one of the largest and most important commemoration ceremonies ever hosted on board to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Frequent Wind and the Fall of Saigon. Vietnemese families and former crew members were part of the special day. 'This is an opportunity for them to come here and remember and share it together with their friends and family,' said David Koontz, Director of Marketing for the USS Midway Museum. On April 29, 1975, Vietnamese refugees fled their country as Saigon was beginning to fall to the communist north. The midway crew launched a rescue mission right on the flight deck, helping land Vietnamese pilots carrying helicopters full of people desperate to reach freedom. 'Things could crash, things could go wrong, things could fall over side, a lot of things early on could have gone wrong, but did not,' said USS Midway docent Rob Boyd, who was part of the Midway crew during that historical time. The refugees fled their homeland with very little and the hanger was used as a place for them to eat, sleep and get medical attention. 'They didn't understand what a cheeseburger was. There were certain things they didn't understand about french fries. We had to be really careful that we didn't let them be sick on the stuff that we ate,' Boyd said. 'When you go into harms way so others may live, you don't think you just do and that's what we did,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The ultimate guide to the best museums in San Diego, California
San Diego's epicenter for arts and culture is Balboa Park. This 1,200-acre urban oasis is home to 18 museums (and dozens of gardens, attractions, and fun venues). Visit the traditional institutions here—or swing over to the recently added Comic-Con Museum. In case you didn't know, Balboa Park shares a zip code with downtown San Diego, and the city's urban core has its own set of eclectic offerings, like the nautical USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum. With so many museums in the city, museophiles can pare down their options with this helpful list of must-see museums in San Diego. (Related: The essential guide to visiting San Diego.) Comic-Con International is an annual mega-convention of 130,000 sci-fi, superhero, and cosplay fanatics who flock to downtown San Diego in late July. The convention has a 55-year legacy, but the Comic-Con Museum opened in Balboa Park in 2021. Year-round, visitors can wander through exhibits like 'Becoming Betty Boop,' showcasing a century of the history and evolution of iconic cartoon characters. Journey through time and space during Comic-Con at the 'Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction' exhibit, which combines real-life science with the science fiction universe of British hero, Doctor Who. Be sure to visit the Monster Vault. To better reflect inclusivity, the San Diego Museum of Man changed its name to Museum of Us in 2020. Visitors will spot the museum's 198-foot-tall, domed California Tower well before entering Balboa Park. Guests can tour the tower, whose elements are reminiscent of a Spanish-Colonial church. It was also featured prominently in Orson Welles' classic movie Citizen Kane. The museum focuses on cultural resources from more than 200 indigenous communities from all over the world. (Related: 10 experiences families shouldn't miss in San Diego.) The Fleet Science Center offers mental stimulation for all ages. There's a good chance your visit will coincide with a school field trip of students excitedly exploring more than 100 hands-on, interactive exhibits. The Fleet is also home to the immersive Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn James Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. In Balboa Park,you can catch an IMAX movie on a 76-foot wraparound movie screen. Explore space with a 360-degree view in 'The Sky Tonight' show. Trace the roots of breaking gravitational bonds in displays of historical aviation and space flight technology. The San Diego Air & Space Museum has a rare collection of models and some mint condition aircrafts. Go back in time to the Montgolfier brothers' 1783 hot-air balloon. Imagine the bravery of the 1920s barnstormer plane pilots, or inspect the military aircraft of the Vietnam War and World War II. The museum's space-age tech displays are continually evolving. (Related: The best restuarants in San Diego.) The unique, peace-minded House of Pacific Relations is a consortium of 33 International Cottages representing different world cultures. From Germany and France to Israel and Palestine, the cottages are arranged in the middle of Balboa Park like a village. On weekends, the cottages are open to visitors, who can learn about specific cultures, histories, and traditions. Plan ahead and look for special afternoon programs focusing on food, music, dance, costumes, and arts and crafts. San Diego is a seaside city with 70 miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean. Just blocks from each other, the USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum are floating museums moored downtown along the Embarcadero walkway. The USS Midway is a decommissioned aircraft carrier, with a flight deck filled with 26 restored carrier aircraft, from jet fighters to helicopters. The Maritime Museum is a collection of antique vessels, starring the 150-year-old, three-masted sailing ship Star of India. Other attractions include the steam ferry Berkeley, the USS Dolphin submarine, and the HMS Surprise—a replica of the Royal Navy frigate from the movie Master & Commander. (Related: Don't leave San Diego without trying these 9 experiences.) It's all about the kids at The New Children's Museum. Imagination meets creativity with activity-oriented art installations, with names like 'Wobbleland' and 'Disco Rainbow Cave.' Virtual art experiences also aim to be fun, like 'Sketch Aquarium' and 'Wonder Sound.' Children are allowed to get hands on at the Clay Studio and a Paint Studio that features a large-scale sculpture named 'The Loving Dragon.' Downtown's WNDR Museum is a high-tech, adult version of an interactive children's venue. WNDR is, of course, the word 'wonder' without vowels. You'll want to engage with the wonder of innovative displays that include: A multi-sensory Light Floor that glows wherever you leave a footprint. And a Quantum Mirror room, where 150 mirrors create an infinity reflection billed as an ode to our obsession with screens and the need for attention on social media. (Related: An neighborhood guide to San Diego.) A public facility in La Jolla, Birch Aquarium at Scripps is also the public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. With a focus on marine life, the aquarium houses more than 380 species. Visitors flock to the Blue Beach shark and ray habitat, as well as the Tide-Pool Plaza, with close-up views of hermit crabs, lobsters, starfish, and more. The colorful Hall of Fishes is just finishing a renovation, set to reopen as Living Seas on May 22, 2025. The flagship La Jolla location of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has newly expanded galleries, exhibitions, and a sculpture garden. With idyllic, real-life coastal views of the Pacific Ocean, the MCASD recently expanded its collections of land and seascapes. Outside on the museum grounds, the Edwards Sculpture Garden is enlivened by numerous installations, including the 'Displaced Person' garden planter and a 'Crossroads' sculpture–a combination of city-specific directional arrows and signs with witty maxims, such as 'Words Without Thoughts Never to Heaven Go.' (Related: How families, culture hounds, and adventurers can spend the perfect day in San Diego.) Ron Donoho is a San Diego-based freelancer whose San Diego Sun website focuses on downtown news.
