ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Operation New Life

Operation New Life (ONL) was a plan made by the United States government in 1975 to help Vietnamese refugees who were fleeing from the war in Vietnam. It was like a big helping hand to people who needed to escape from a difficult situation.

Imagine that you're playing with a group of friends, but the game starts becoming too rough and scary without you knowing what to do. Some of your friends are getting hurt, and maybe you're feeling scared as well that you don't want to stay there anymore. Just like this, the people in Vietnam during the war wanted to leave because their country was not safe anymore.

So, ONL was like a big group of adults who wanted to help kids get out of the dangerous game. The United States government said they were going to make a special place for people from Vietnam to come to and be safe. This special place was on an island called Guam. It had everything the Vietnamese people needed to start a new life, like food, shelter, and medical care. The people could stay there until they found a new place to live.

The United States people who helped with the plan were like moms and dads who wanted to take care of the children who needed help. They made sure that the Vietnamese people were safe and healthy on the island. They even gave them things like toys, school supplies, and clothes. They wanted the Vietnamese people to be happy and comfortable while they were there.

Once the people from Vietnam were safe and healthy, the United States government helped them find new homes in America. It was like the United States was adopting the Vietnamese refugees to become part of their family. The people got to start a new life in America and could leave all the scary stuff behind.

So, Operation New Life was like a big helping hand for people from Vietnam during a difficult time. The United States government made sure they were safe and comfortable on Guam, and then helped them find new homes in America so they could start fresh.