Episode 03: Operation New Life
In our third episode, Dr. Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi discusses Guam’s role as the primary way station for South Vietnamese refugees in the chaotic months immediately following the end of the Vietnam War. April 2021 marks the 46th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon — and the beginning of the massive evacuation and resettlement effort known as Operation New Life.
Bonus Content
A short snippet from our interview with Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo about the day Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made a quick visit to Guam during Operation New Life. This portion didn’t end up in the full / official episode, so we’re sharing it here.
Archival Media
Click any image below to zoom in, and hover for caption / source. For a better user experience, explore this media on a computer.
Episode Transcript
Episode Anchor: Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi
Dr. Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi is an assistant professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (Tovaangar). Her interdisciplinary research engages critical refugee studies, settler colonial studies, and transpacific studies.
Dr. Gandhi’s book, Archipelago of Resettlement: Vietnamese Refugee Settlers in Guam and Israel-Palestine, is forthcoming with UC Press in spring 2022. Her grandmother and mother were Vietnamese refugees who were processed on Guam during Operation New Life.
