Mahli Mechenbier, J.D., M.A., is a senior lecturer at Kent State University at Geauga/Twinsburg, in the English Department, where she has taught since 2006. She was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and was one of more than 3,000 children who were evacuated from the country through 鈥淥peration: Babylift.鈥�
鈥淥peration: Babylift鈥� was a humanitarian mission by the U.S. Government to airlift orphans out of Vietnam when Saigon came under attack in 1975. Children were relocated and adopted by families in the United States, Australia and other allied countries.
Mahli Mechenbier, in person, and her father, via Zoom, met with Kent State Today to discuss their upcoming presentation, scheduled for 1 p.m. on May 3 in the Kiva on the Kent Campus as part of Kent State鈥檚 annual commemoration of May 4, 1970. 鈥�Operation: Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History鈥� will explore the lasting impact of the Vietnam War, connecting the conflict鈥檚 humanitarian and historical consequences to Kent State鈥檚 Legacy. Tickets are available for download through .
Before They Met
Mahli Mechenbier was found by the side of the road near a public market by a nun outside of Saigon when she was an infant. She says the placement was most likely intentional; someone had placed her there with the intent that she be found as people walked to town that morning.
Her father, Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, was captured along with his 鈥渂ackseater鈥� when their F-4C fighter jet malfunctioned after a bombing run north of Hanoi. After he and his co-pilot ejected, as they were parachuting to the ground, he saw 鈥淪ix million people down there, no exaggeration, six million and they鈥檙e all shooting at me.鈥� Ed Mechenbier quickly discarded his .38 鈥渟urvival weapon鈥� pistol. He landed on a roof, rolled and was completely wrapped in his parachute when the Vietnamese soldiers captured him.
He was a prisoner of war for nearly six years (鈥�2,076 days,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut who鈥檚 counting?鈥�) from 1967-1973. He and other American prisoners lived in terrible conditions, enduring torture, starvation and isolation. In a consolidation of prisoners by the North Vietnamese, he was moved in 1970 to the H峄廰 L貌 Prison 鈥� which famously came to be called 鈥淭he Hanoi Hilton鈥� 鈥� and was liberated along with the rest of the prisoners in 1973. He was then assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
鈥楽omething Good Did Come Out of This鈥�
The children from 鈥淥peration: Babylift鈥� arrived in major transportation hubs in California like Los Angeles and San Francisco and were sent to locations across the country for adoption. The child that would be adopted by the Mechenbier family was sent to the Mount St. Joseph Infant and Maternity Home in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ed Mechenbier and his wife came to adopt through their church in Fairborn, Ohio. A priest, along with a nun who had been in Saigon, asked if they would be interested in adopting a child. The Mechenbiers quickly answered 鈥淵es.鈥�
When asked if he was concerned that adopting a child from Vietnam would trigger unpleasant memories of his time as a captive, Ed Mechenbier said that he didn鈥檛 think that at all. 鈥淎ll I saw was a beautiful baby girl,鈥� he said.
He said he sees his experiences in Vietnam as 鈥渁 void鈥� 鈥� except for his daughter. In a 1978 newspaper interview, Mechenbier said, 鈥淚 can look at her and say 鈥榃ell, something good did come out of the whole experience.鈥欌€�
Mechenbier speculated that this sentiment was likely shared by the politicians who conceived 鈥淥peration: Babylift.鈥� 鈥淚 think a lot of the upper-echelon federal politicians were thinking 鈥榃e need something good to come out of this.鈥欌€�
The Lasting Impact of Being Raised by a POW Parent
In speaking with father and daughter together, their strong bond is evident as is the love between them and the unique sense of humor they share.
The conditions Ed Mechenbier suffered while in captivity had lasting, negative impacts on his health. They also gave him a profound appreciation and gratitude for his life after captivity. 鈥淭he takeaway from all this is that I learned to appreciate everything in life, even the little things.鈥�
鈥淭hings like the hot water鈥檚 on the left, cold water鈥檚 on the right. When was the last time you were somewhere that it wasn鈥檛?鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou take it for granted. Where鈥檚 the light switch? Right there inside the door about that high where it鈥檚 conveniently located. So, it鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 wrapped up in an American flag saying 鈥極h, life is wonderful,鈥� No, I just put it in my mind that I lived, and 58,000 other guys didn鈥檛. Be grateful for what you have. It鈥檚 not a model or an emotional thing that wraps up my entire life, but I just have that subtle everyday thought: thank you.鈥�
Mahli Mechenbier acknowledges that her father鈥檚 experiences and her closeness with her father have made her more resilient and shaped the way she approaches life.
鈥淧eople who know me are aware that I will eat anything, she said. And part of that is because of Dad. When you鈥檙e being raised by him, (you say) 鈥業 don鈥檛 like my cereal,鈥� (and he says) 鈥楧oes it have bugs in it?鈥� 鈥楴o.鈥� 鈥榃ell then you can eat that.鈥欌€� 鈥淒ad always reminds me of a quote from one of his POW colleagues, 鈥業f you wake up and the doorknob turns on your side of the door, it is a good day.鈥欌€�
Her father鈥檚 influence has also come into her classroom in the way Mahli Mechenbier teaches and interacts with her students. When her students stress about getting a lower grade on a test or an assignment, she pragmatically reminds them that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not the end of the world; you鈥檒l improve on the next assignment.鈥�
鈥楢ll of Those Things Make You Who You Are鈥�
While Mechenbier has no memory of Vietnam or her birth parents, she recognizes the importance of remembering where you came from, which, in her case, is the Mechenbier family.
After learning her story, some of her students have asked her if she has ever searched for her birth parents.
鈥淚 respect my family,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have a great family. I think I turned out fine. So, if you were to meet my brother, we sound alike; we have the same mannerisms. Dad and I have the same alertness and humor.鈥�
She told her students, 鈥淲e all have an origin story. We all come from somewhere and we have to find within that origin story sadness, happiness, joy, truth, reality. And if we don鈥檛 acknowledge and accept who we are, and if we don鈥檛 acknowledge and accept that origin story, we鈥檙e not being true to ourselves.鈥�
鈥淪o even though you may have had it really rough as a child, or have faced challenges as an adult, or if you鈥檝e had the extreme experience of being a POW, all of those things make you who you are and impact how you perceive and respond to situations for the rest of your life.鈥�
And There鈥檚 So Much More
Anyone who wants to learn more about both Mechenbiers, father and daughter, can hear more of their 鈥渙rigin stories鈥� live at their presentations at 1p.m. on May 3.
