40 years ago today

[sdmc530]

The fall of Saigon was 40 years ago.

Nice little story on CNN.com about it. Some of you remember it, bad day for Viet Nam.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/vie...ary/index.html


'Another horrendous screwup'


In Washington, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger announced it was over. The last U.S. chopper had left the U.S. Embassy.

But that wasn't quite accurate. In fact, 11 U.S. Marines had been left on the embassy roof.

Kissinger, in the 2014 documentary, "Last Days in Vietnam," called it "another horrendous screwup."

Also still on the compound were 420 non-U.S. citizens who, according to the film, were promised airlifts out but instead were left behind.

"We were told that Martin had left on the last helicopter and that the evacuation had ended," Kissinger said.

The Marines barricaded themselves on the roof and prepared to defend themselves against a possible attack.


The last men out


After sunrise, the USS Hancock sent out a final chopper to rescue the stranded Marines. The mission went to Woods and fellow crewmen of a Sea Knight with the call sign Swift 22.

Approaching the embassy, Woods looked down from his position near the cockpit to see the compound was "overrun" by "hundreds or thousands" of South Vietnamese. "Like ants on a watermelon, they were just everywhere trying to get up to the rooftop so they could maybe catch a flight out of Saigon."

The chopper set down on the Embassy's rooftop helicopter pad and Woods opened the ramp and hatch.

There had been no attack. After surviving the night uninjured, all 11 Marines ran aboard.