The War Cradle [Paperback]

Shirley P. Barnes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shirley P. Barnes provided a haven, for hundreds of Vietnam war orphans in a Denver health care facility and explores the components of how 'Operation Babylift' developed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Pressworks; Special limited ed edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970688407
• ISBN-13: 978-0970688408
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Incredible Story of the People Who Organized "Babylift.", July 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The War Cradle (Paperback)

This is the story of "Mister Ross" (and includes his extraordinary photographs) and the other unforgettable characters who risked their own lives to bring life and joy to the most innocent victims of the Vietnam war. I was riveted through the account of the orphan children making their way through hellish circumstances and onto the evacuation planes. The story of Mister Ross climbing the Embassy stairs, small child in his arms, to the waiting helicopter on the roof, captures the spirit of the national drama that unfolded that day and belongs in our nation's lore.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From war's hell to a new home, May 26, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Sarasota, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The War Cradle (Paperback)

Shirley Peck-Barnes' book is a very graphic (literally too) depiction of what happened in 1975 at the fall of Saigon during Operation Babylift. It was a God-awful time, and things were happening rapidly, without the benefit of thinking things through properly. She captured it all through many interviews with those involved. She offered her own services by letting 600 orphans stay at her facility in Denver without thinking twice!

She, fortunately, had the ability to interview those directly involved because of her involvement as secretary with the Department of Defense during the Korean War, which led her to get untold stories during this horrific period.

If you want to know the truth, read this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-READ BOOK, January 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The War Cradle (Paperback)

In the 25 years since the fall of Saigon, much has been written about the Vietnam War. Yet, whereas so many books have focused on the brutality and sheer hell of what the soldiers fighting in that war endured, Shirley Peck-Barnes now brings a new perspective to our attention...that of the thousands of children fathered by those soldiers, and the brave men and women who helped rescue those children in the last days of the war. "Operation Babylift" became the offical name for the rescue, and THE WAR CRADLE is a fascinating account of the brave men and women who risked their own lives to save the lives of the children...who, as Peck-Barnes writes, were "too incidental for the concerns of generals" and other governmental officals in power. But what makes the book such a terrific read is that it is not only an historical account of the event, but it delves into the hearts, minds, and deep human emotions of all those involved in "Operation Babylift"...including the children themselves, several of whom contribute their own, sometimes heart-wrenching stories of thier lives after the war. This is a wonderful book...and a rare glimpse at an event so many people have dismissed as a "footnote" to the Vietnam War, but which ironically stands out as perhaps the most positive, uplifting event of the War itself.