In 1975, President Ford authorized a program called Operation Babylift, which evacuated 4,000 orphans from South Vietnam. About 2,500 of those children were adopted by U.S. families and several of them gathered together in Grand Rapids, Michigan to honor the late president by posthumously awarding him the Heather Constance Noone Memorial Award for extraordinary actions.

"Ford's son, Steven, was touched by the ceremony, in which a painting of Ford cradling an infant was presented to the museum."

Steven also accepted the Memorial award on his father's behalf.

Read more at MLive.com.

Labels: adoptees, awards, awareness