Note: In 1988, Operation California began using Operation USA as its corporate name.

1979

• First relief flight to aid Vietnamese "Boat People" in Malaysia is sent just twenty-nine days after Operation California is founded.
• On Thanksgiving Day, Operation California flew the first international relief airlift to Cambodia since 1975 to deliver famine relief.

1980

• Operation California is the first U.S. group since 1975 to airlift humanitarian aid to Vietnam. OpCal also helped negotiate the Orderly Departure Program, which brings immigrants from Vietnam to the United States. At that time, there were no diplomatic relations between the 2 governments.
• Julie Andrews joins our first Boad of Directors and hosts our CBS television special, one of many fundraising events she has done for Operation California.

1981

• Operation California arranges air and sea shipments to Somalia in support of United Nations programs aiding 1.5 million refugees from the Ethiopia-Somalia war.
• First relief flight to Honduras to aid refugees from El Salvador.

1982

• Operation California flies supplies to Poland, the first Western group to return there since the authorities declareld martial law in an attempt to crush the Solidarity labor union.
• First relief flight to Beirut after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the disintegration of the Lebanese Government.

1983

• Operation California rebuilds the National Dental School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia sending dental equipment and technicians.
• Relief efforts begin in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Operation California wins President's Volunteer Action Award at White House ceremony.
• Begins long-term ongoing support of community-based free medical clinics in Los Angeles.

1984

• Major relief effort for the Ethiopian famine. Operation California, flying the first Boeing 747 cargo jet ever to land at Addis Ababa's airport, delivers 120 tons of critical medical aid.
• Becomes a founding board member of InterAction, a consortium of (now) 160 relief and development agencies.

1985

• Operation California responds to Mexico City earthquake with seven airlifts of medicines and shelter materials; helps build a permanent clinic for relocated quake victims as part of an integrated community development project.
• Assists USA for Africa with grants management of $17 million in "We Are The World" emergency funds for eight African countries and coordinates second Boeing 747 airlift to Ethiopia and Sudan.

1986 through 1988

• Disaster relief airlifts to Jamaica, Bangladesh, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Assessment visits to Tibet, China and Sri Lanka.
• Shipments begin to United Nations programs in Mozambique, the West Bank and The Philippines.
• Begins support of Los Angeles' first four school-based health clinics.
• Operation California becomes "Operation USA" to reflect the growth in scope of our programs.

1989

• The Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Fernando Bay Area elicits Operation USA's first major domestic disaster response. We send electric generators, food, bottled water, medicines and diesel fuel to support relief efforts.

1990

• Operation USA sends aid to refugees stranded in the Jordanian desert after fleeing Kuwait.
• Operation USA ships relief to other victims of the Persian Gulf War, including Kurdish and Iraqi children. Board members accompany shipments into Northern Iraq and Jordan.

1991

• Operation USA responds to a succession of disasters in Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Peru and The Philippines.
• Works with the City of Los Angeles to send medical aid to St. Petersburg, Russia, a sister city.
• Begins a disaster preparedness training program for community clinics in California.

1992

• Operation USA sends medical aid to crises in Somalia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania.
• Relief team sets up long-term aid to Guadalajara, Mexico, following catastrophic gas explosion.

1993

• Operation USA continues aid to Somalia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• Ongoing assistance to partner programs in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India and Los Angeles.
• Operation USA joins with country music stars Clint Black and Wynonna in "Operation Heartland" to assist Midwestern U.S. flood relief and recovery efforts in five states. Grants are made to twenty-five community groups.

1994

• Operation USA responds to Northridge (L.A.) earthquake with food, baby formula, antibiotics, clothes, tents & blankets and other relief items and is asked by the Mayor of Los Angeles to screen medical supply donations offered to Los Angeles.
• Places steel containers of emergency medical equipment and supplies on three high school campuses with primary care medical clinics and launches "Clinics and Schools Together", training fifteen L.A.-area high school students in community health care.
• Operation USA airlifts $500,000 of emergency relief to Rwanda, followed by five medical supply shipments by sea; grants fund the rebuilding of a health center in war-ravaged Kibungo Prefecture.
• Barbara Streisand, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne perform on OpUSA's behalf. "Miss Saigon" premiere in Los Angeles also benefits OpUSA.

1995

• Operation USA expands Clinic Emergency Preparedness Training (CEPT) program with thirty-five L.A.-area community medical clinics -- includes individualized training and non-structural hazard mitigation.
• Expansion of Vietnam agricultural, public health and medical training programs into two additional districts.

1996

• Launches Landmine Technology program "Operation Landmine" with NASA and two U.S. national laboratories to help rid the world of 100-120 million anti-personnel landmines. Represents 160 U.S. NGO's at United Nations and other conferences.

1997

• Continues to supply development projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Vietnam and India.
• Maintains supplies to Los Angeles clinics as part of the Clinic Emergency Preparedness Training Program.
• As member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize), participates in the "Ottawa Process: an International Treaty to Ban Landmines".
• Shipments of relief cargo to North Korea, Cambodia, Poland and Russia.

1998

• Hand-carried deliveries of antibiotics and needs assessment visits to three Cuban pediatric hospitals initiate Operation USA's Cuba Medical Assistance Program.
• Ships four sea containers of medical equipment and supplies to Rwanda's Ministry of Health.
• Initiates major programs in Central America to aid survivors of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua.

1999

• Expands Nicaragua hurricane recovery and opens full-time country office in Managua.
• Sends relief airlifts and medical teams in cooperation with UCLA Medical Center to aid Kosovo refugees in Albania.
• Responds to Turkish Earthquake with airlifts of emergency and longer-term assistance.
• Grants funds to rebuild clinics, schools and for post-traumatic stress programs.

2000

• Obtains second warehouse space -- 5,000 sq. ft. -- courtesy of the Port of San Francisco.
• Expands Cuba Medical Assistance Programs with knowledge exchange visits by Cuban and American physicians to both Havana and Los Angeles.
• Completes a number of programs in Nicaragua following Hurricane Mitch including building over 100 homes, six preschools, five clinics, a post-traumatic stress counseling program and developing micro-enterprise projects in animal husbandry.
• Expands community-based health care programs in support of Los Angeles-area clinics.

2001-2003

• Micro-credit programs in Vietnam expand to cover 5,000 women in food production and sales.
• Gujarat, India earthquake generates two 747 cargo airlifts and grants for water, clinic and school projects.
• California Community Clinic Support Program expands to 200 nonprofit community clinics.

2004

• Tsunami effort begins December 26th and results in $13 million in air and sea shipments and funding of clinics, houses, water wells, livelihood grants, post-traumatic stress programs in four countries.

2005

• Receives Disaster Preparedness Training grant from The California Endowment to train and equip California community clinics.
• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita effort includes $8 million in air and truck shipments to the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast states ; cash grants to 50 community-based clinics; and funding of mental health programs in local schools.
• Sent emergency relief supplies via 747 cargo jet airlift to Islamabad for Pakistan earthquake-affected communities; funding of two clinics and 50 new homes.

2006

• Responds to Jogyakarta, Indonesia earthquake with supplies and funding for reconstruction of two clinics and one school.

2007

• Responds to Peru Earthquake rebuilding 4 schools outside Ica, Peru and
  funds a new water system for a village through a local partner
• Re-funds 23 clinics, school and after-school agencies in the Hurricane
  Katrina zone of Louisiana and Mississippi bringing total grants to $2.2M
• Continues funding post-Tsunami recovery projects in Indonesia,
  Thailand, Sri Lanka and India
• Responds to California Wildfires with supplies and grants to local
  agencies serving fire victims