Singer Meets the Marine Who May Have Saved Him During the Fall of Saigon

February 10, 2020

Aron Moxley, the former lead singer of the all-Asian band The Slants, shared on Facebook his origin as a Vietnamese child refugee before he was brought to the United States.

In his post, Moxley recalled an encounter with a marine with whom he had a significant connection.

“This regular named John Barnes (right) has been coming into my work for years,” Aron captioned on a photo of their meeting. “I told him I was going to Vietnam next week with my girlfriend, Ali Marie. He told me he was over there during the fall of Saigon (in 1975) and helped orphan babies get on evacuation planes and helicopters as a Marine.

“I told him I was one of those babies. He looked at me, his eyes started to well up, and said he might have held me in his arms during the rescue mission (Operation Babylift). We talked for a while, and I thanked him dearly for his service and kindness. At the end he told me he’ll sleep better tonight, now that he’s seen that what was a small innocent baby is now all grown up, with a better life in America. What an amazing man you are, John. And thank you again for your service! No longer an orphan, Aron #thankyouservicemenandwomen”

Conducted from April 3–26, 1975, Operation Babylift was the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the U.S. and other countries at the end of the Vietnam War.

Moxley, who is currently residing in Portland, ended up in Astoria, Oregon where he grew up. While he posted his touching story last year, it recently became widely shared on social media after it was reposted and shared by other readers.

The post has earned many positive comments from Facebook users who were touched by the amazing story.

Feature Image via Aron Moxley

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