Wings of Freedom

At the end of the Vietnam War, Pan American World Airways successfully evacuated 463 American and Vietnamese civilians on April 24, 1975, aboard a Boeing 747-the last plane out. At the time, Allen H. Topping was serving as the Pan Am Director of South Vietnam and Cambodia and was instrumental in the success of that last flight.

Topping lived and worked in South Vietnam for two and a half years. In addition to its global network of scheduled services, Pan Am was also involved in many other rescue and humanitarian operations throughout the world. These operations and missions included the Berlin Airlift, rescue operations from Tehran, operational support for US forces in WW II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and, most recently, the Gulf War.

Prior to joining Pan Am Allan Topping worked for the Institute of International Education on and United Airlines in New York City. He joined Pan Am on June 2, 1969 as a sales representative, assigned to the San Francisco sales office. In November of 1972, Al became the Director of Vietnam and Cambodia, based in Saigon, South Vietnam. After managing operations at various stations overseas for almost eight years, he returned to the U.S. in 1982, Pan Am appointed him as Assistant to The Chairman Consumer Affairs. Topping continued to hold other management positions un l the company ceased operations on December 4, 1991.

For the next 23 years he worked for The Miami-Dade School Board Administration, The Miami Herald and the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club in Miami, Florida. Now fully re red Topping is playing lots of golf in Ocala, Florida.