They Are All My Family

A Daring Rescue in the Chaos of Saigon's Fall

By: John P. Riordan, Monique Brinson Demery

Narrated by: Corey M. Snow

Published for the 40th anniversary of the final days of the Vietnam War, this is the suspenseful and moving tale of how John P. Riordan, an assistant manager of Citibank's Saigon branch, devised a daring plan to save 106 Vietnamese from the dangers of the Communist takeover.

Riordan - who had left the military behind for a career in international banking - was not the type to take dramatic action, but once the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon in April 1975 and it was clear that Riordan's Vietnamese colleagues and their families would be stranded in a city teetering on total collapse, he knew he could not leave them behind. Defying the objections of his superiors and going against the official policy of the United States, Riordan went back into Saigon to save them.

In 15 harrowing trips to Saigon's airport, he maneuvered through the bureaucratic shambles, claiming that the Vietnamese were his wife and scores of children. It was a ruse that at times veered close to failure, yet against all odds the improbable plan succeeded.

They Are All My Family is a vivid narrative of one man's ingenious strategy that transformed a time of enormous peril into a display of extraordinary courage.

©2015 John P. Riordan (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A nail-biting account of one man's quiet heroism in the face of impossible odds." ( Kirkus)

While Many Others Fled, Riordan Returned

Captivating, amazing account of a man who returned to a country in chaos to rescue 106 people and guarantee their freedom. In an age where selflessness and courage are both in short supply, Riordan’s story should be required reading in high schools across America.

This was really great

Its nice to find the redeeming stories of Vietnam & this is one of them.

Fantastic story

In the closing days of Vietnam this bank exec saved his employees and somehow got them evacuated. Great story a must listen too.

Makes me proud to be a Citi Alumni

The date is 8-20-2021 as I write this and the US is exiting Afghanistan. DeJa Vu all over again as Casey Stengel said. In both cases I don’t think there is a good exit strategy. It was a great story. Makes me proud.

Fantastic Listen

This story is a great little piece of history of what one man, with a little help, did to change the lives of many. A must listen, IMO.