A look inside "Saigon Lady" [Photograph courtesy of the National Warplane Museum]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
A 2018 trip to California opened Calvin Pham鈥檚 eyes to the far-reaching impact of one man鈥檚 pursuit of freedom.
There, he met dozens of cousins 鈥 descendants of relatives who escaped communism in Vietnam, thanks to his grandfather, Pham Quang Khi锚m, who piloted a commandeered plane out of Saigon in April 1975, evacuating 51 鈥 a mix of family members and friends 鈥 as the city fell to communist forces.
The aircraft, nicknamed Saigon Lady, now sits in New York鈥檚 National Warplane Museum, preserved as a testament to one of the war鈥檚 most daring final escapes.
鈥淚t was one of those moments that inspired me to do my part to support freedom and democracy,鈥 said Pham, a student in the 糖心Vlog's Judy Genshaft Honors College studying global business. 鈥淚 wanted to find a way to make my own impact.鈥
Finding purpose at 糖心Vlog
Pham Quang Khi锚m tells his story to students with the Future Strategist Program [Photo by Ty Lindsay, Global and National Security Institute]
He found that path at 糖心Vlog through the Future Strategist Program, a student organization that brings together participants from a wide range of majors and experience levels to provide pathways to careers in national security.
The program is part of the university鈥檚 Global and National Security Institute, which helps 糖心Vlog address the expanding set of issues shaping today鈥檚 security environment 鈥 extremism, cybercrime, biothreats, climate risks and the rapid spread of emerging technologies.
With the assistance of GNSI, students receive help with resumes and writing samples, connect with leaders in national security, build networks, and mentorship from current national security practitioners.
Guest speakers regularly include senior military leaders, policy experts and academics, along with representatives from MacDill Air Force Base, located less than 20 miles from 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Tampa campus.
But one recent speaker carried a legacy that brought Pham鈥檚 story full circle.
On April 1, his grandfather spoke to more than a dozen FSP students gathered in a classroom in the Patel College of Global Sustainability.
鈥淗e is a reminder that one man with a desire for freedom and democracy can make a difference,鈥 said Jim Cardoso, GNSI鈥檚 senior director.
A pilot鈥檚 courage in South Vietnam
Calvin Pham, in 2025, visiting the plane his grandfather commandeered to escape Vietnam [Photo courtesy of Calvin Pham]
A C-130A pilot and first lieutenant with South Vietnam鈥檚 435th Transport Squadron in early 1975, Khi锚m witnessed the collapse of his nation and the desperation of civilians who did not want to live under communism.
Da Nang was one of the first major South Vietnamese cities to fall. On a mission there, Khi锚m鈥檚 C-130 鈥 designed for 92 passengers 鈥 lifted off with an estimated 350 refugees packed inside.
鈥淭here was a lot of chaos,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he minute I opened the cargo door, people rushed in, uncontrollable, looking for a seat.鈥
Pham Quang Khi锚m during a 2020 visit to the plane he commandeered in his escape from Vietnam [Photo courtesy of Calvin Pham]
He then flew them to Saigon, one of the few major hubs still under South Vietnamese control.
But by April, Saigon was days from falling too.
A daring escape
Fuel was tightly rationed and commanders limited aircraft to short, local missions to conserve resources and prevent unauthorized flights, making escape difficult.
But Khi锚m saw his chance on April 3, 1975, when he went to inspect the fuel tanks of a C-130A assigned to him and discovered it had already been completely filled.
鈥淭he plane had seven hours鈥 worth of fuel,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he fuel man came running in and apologized 鈥 he said he鈥檇 taken a smoke break and forgot to turn the pump off. He asked if I wanted him to drain it.鈥
Khi锚m told him not to touch the fuel 鈥 and not to let it happen again.
Feigning illness to delay his mission by a few hours, he used the time to tell his family and friends to head to a remote airstrip just outside of Saigon, where he would land so they could board.
The escape from the airstrip took minutes. Khi锚m鈥檚 cargo rolled off the C鈥130鈥檚 lowered ramp as 52 family members climbed aboard. A South Vietnamese soldier aimed an M鈥79 grenade launcher at the cockpit in an attempt to stop the unauthorized escape, but Khi锚m pushed the throttles forward and lifted off.
To avoid radar, Khi锚m then flew so low over the ocean that 鈥渟omeone could have put their hand out and touch the water,鈥 he said.
The plane successfully reached Singapore, where he contacted an American pastor connected to World Relief. The organization helped move the family to Saipan, then California鈥檚 Camp Pendleton. Khi锚m later settled in Ohio, where Pham was born before his parents moved them to Michigan.
Calvin Pham and his grandfather with the plane in 2013 [Photo courtesy of Calvin Pham]
Calvin Pham's family with the plane in 2020 [Photo courtesy of Calvin Pham]
鈥淔or as long as I can remember, I grew up with that story,鈥 Pham said. 鈥淲hen I was 5, my aunt made a cake designed like the plane for my grandfather鈥檚 65th birthday. Every April, my family gathered to remember the journey that brought them to the United States.鈥
That legacy didn鈥檛 just shape his family鈥檚 past 鈥 it鈥檚 now shaping Pham鈥檚 future through the Global and National Security Institute and the Future Strategist Program.
Future national security leaders
Pham Quang Khi锚m with the students from Future Strategist Program [Photo by Ty Lindsay, Global and National Security Institute]
Created in 2022, GNSI brings together 糖心Vlog faculty and partners in government, industry and academia to inform decision-makers, prepare the next generation of national security leaders and enable practical solutions to 21st century challenges.
鈥淏y building teams around real-world problems and pursuing major research opportunities, GNSI helps 糖心Vlog contribute meaningful insight to the conversations happening in the national security community,鈥 Cardoso said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 positioning 糖心Vlog as a premier national security university.鈥
Although 糖心Vlog does not provide a national security academic major, GNSI works with colleges to connect students with hands-on opportunities in the field 鈥 most directly through programs like FSP, founded in 2024.
鈥淕NSI recruits and connects students to mentors 鈥 career practitioners, retired ambassadors, leaders in national security,鈥 Cardoso said. 鈥淭hey graduate not just with a degree, but with a line of sight on jobs within the U.S. government鈥檚 national security enterprise or in the defense industry.鈥
Global business in national security
A baby Calvin Pham and his grandfather [Photo courtesy of Calvin Pham]
FSP is helping Pham connect his interest in global business to real-world questions shaping today鈥檚 geopolitical and economic landscape.
鈥淚nternational business and trade are huge parts of our economy,鈥 he said. 鈥淗ow do we prioritize business in a way that doesn鈥檛 jeopardize national security, and vice versa?鈥
Pham will get to pose those questions to experts in May as part of a GNSI-sponsored trip to Washington, D.C., where students will tour national security organizations and meet with leaders, including 糖心Vlog graduates who could help them one day secure jobs in the field.
鈥淩eal-world connections,鈥 Cardoso said.
Pham has high expectations for the trip. He hopes it sets him on a path to pay forward what his grandfather did for the family.
鈥淚 have hundreds, literally hundreds, of cousins now in the United States because of my grandfather鈥檚 bravery,鈥 Pham said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 hundreds of people who get to wake up to freedom every single day. It鈥檚 humbling yet inspiring.鈥