#cath turner

[hisribcage]

this makes me question everything i thought i knew about the war...

i feel sick knowing what they've done.

[yanguang]

Cath Turner examines the consequences of 'Operation Babylift' at the end of the Vietnam war.

By Cath Turner

I have always known I had an unusual start to life. But like everyone else, I have no memory of my first few years.

I do not remember anything about Vietnam. So I have always felt a bit detached from that part of my life. I have always talked about it like it was my cousin's experience or someone I vaguely know.

When I pitched my story for the Al Jazeera Correspondent series, it was from a reporter's point of view. I wanted to draw attention to the short and long-term effects of adoption; of what happens when a child is moved to a foreign country and placed with a family that looks completely different.

I wanted to talk about identity, belonging, racism and multiculturalism.

It seemed like a story that people around the world would relate to, and Al Jazeera the perfect place to tell it. My editors agreed.

But as we got closer to the first day of filming, I started to realise how personal it was going to be.

Al Jazeera's viewers know me as New York correspondent. I am comfortable looking into the lens of a camera and talking about the United Nations, the New York Stock Exchange, the latest technology news or the economy.

But that does not mean you know anything about my family, my childhood or where I grew up.

This documentary was going to change all that. I was going to lay myself bare in front of the camera, relive some of the most difficult moments of my life and open myself up to judgement.

But I also came to realise that it would be a journey of self-discovery and reflection; of resilience and success. And so I forged ahead, knowing that I am - and have always been - surrounded by an abundance of love and support.

It has been a very cathartic experience.

Read more and watch the documentary.