Posted on Apr 28, 2016
Operation Frequent Wind begins - Apr 29, 1975 - HISTORY.com
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Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation on record, begins removing the last Americans from Saigon.
The North Vietnamese had launched their final offensive in March 1975 and the South Vietnamese forces had fallen back before their rapid advance, losing Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, and Xuan Loc in quick succession. With the North Vietnamese attacking the outskirts of Saigon, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin ordered the commencement of Frequent Wind.
In 19 hours, 81 helicopters carried more than 1,000 Americans and almost 6,000 Vietnamese to aircraft carriers offshore. Cpl. Charles McMahon, Jr. and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge, USMC, were the last U.S. military personnel killed in action in Vietnam, when shrapnel from a North Vietnamese rocket struck them as they were guarding Tan Son Nhut Airbase during the evacuation. At 7:53 a.m. on April 30, the last helicopter lifted off the rook of the embassy and headed out to sea. Later that morning, North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace. North Vietnamese Col. Bui Tin accepted the surrender from Gen. Duong Van Minh, who had taken over from Tran Van Huong (who only spent one day in power after President Nguyen Van Thieu fled). The Vietnam War was over.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
The North Vietnamese had launched their final offensive in March 1975 and the South Vietnamese forces had fallen back before their rapid advance, losing Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, and Xuan Loc in quick succession. With the North Vietnamese attacking the outskirts of Saigon, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin ordered the commencement of Frequent Wind.
In 19 hours, 81 helicopters carried more than 1,000 Americans and almost 6,000 Vietnamese to aircraft carriers offshore. Cpl. Charles McMahon, Jr. and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge, USMC, were the last U.S. military personnel killed in action in Vietnam, when shrapnel from a North Vietnamese rocket struck them as they were guarding Tan Son Nhut Airbase during the evacuation. At 7:53 a.m. on April 30, the last helicopter lifted off the rook of the embassy and headed out to sea. Later that morning, North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace. North Vietnamese Col. Bui Tin accepted the surrender from Gen. Duong Van Minh, who had taken over from Tran Van Huong (who only spent one day in power after President Nguyen Van Thieu fled). The Vietnam War was over.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Operation Frequent Wind begins - Apr 29, 1975 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.com
American History
Warfare
Vietnam War
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski Awesome post, I was in the delayed entry program finishing up a college class just before shipping out to Fort Leonardwood, MO when this was taking place - remember it well in the news!
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"You've heard of the brave and ingenious rescue of Jews from the Nazis by Oskar Schindler and the courageous and unlikely rescue of the American hostages from Iran depicted in the movie 'Argo.' But nobody's heard of the daring and dangerous rescue of the Vietnamese from Saigon by John Riordan. It's a story that's never been told before."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/daring-rescue-days-before-the-fall-of-saigon/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/daring-rescue-days-before-the-fall-of-saigon/
Daring rescue days before the fall of Saigon
The untold story of a young, American banker's 1975 return to Vietnam to save his stranded Vietnamese colleagues and their families
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Those were terrible days when the USA determined essentially who would be liberated to freedom and a new life and who would stay behind to be executed or imprisoned for life because they assisted the USA somehow SP5 Mark Kuzinski
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LTC Stephen F.
SP5 Mark Kuzinski - Amen, my heart grieves just thinking about whet we did Then fast forward to how the current administration let down the people of Iraq who relied on us and we left them to fend for themselves in the internecine warfare and ISIS occupation stages after we left.
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