[14]:28, From 10:00 to 12:00 Major Kean and his Marines cut down the tamarind and other trees and moved vehicles to create an LZ in the embassy parking lot behind the chancery building. Description. this group is here to have members share their personal experiences with the evacuations of Phnom Penh and Saigon, and the SS Mayaquez recovery, events leading up to and after those operations. Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for Vietnam. [6]:37 President Ford, in an address to the American public on 11 April, promised to evacuate Vietnamese civilians of various categories. Hugh van Es believed that Miss Saigon misappropriated his photo and considered legal action against the show, but decided against it. On the ground floor a water tanker was driven through the chancery door and the crowd began to surge up through the building toward the rooftop. Companies E and F respectively occupied the northern and southern sections between the DAO headquarters and the DAO Annex. It was carried out on 2930 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. [3]:258 The total number of Vietnamese evacuated by Frequent Wind or self-evacuated and ending up in the custody of the United States for processing as refugees to enter the United States totalled 138,869. This includes personnel attached to a squadron or unit embarked in a ship during the Campaign Stars are authorized for Ain-country personnel@ for periods as indicated below: 16605 Forest Green Terrace We located a number of references to photographs and documents primarily held by our colleagues at the National Archives at College Park, MD related to these subjects. Major Kean saw Ambassador Martin to request that he contact the Oval Office to ensure that the airlift continued. [10]:195, At 19:30 General Carey directed that the remaining elements guarding the Annex be withdrawn to DAO headquarters (the Alamo) where the last of the evacuees would await their flight. [21]:78, At 04:58 Ambassador Martin boarded a USMC CH-46 Sea Knight, call-sign Lady Ace 09 of HMM-165 and was flown to USS Blue Ridge. Ships and units Operation FREQUENT WIND (Evacuation of Saigon), 29 and 30 April 1975 (Note: Other Operations do not pertain to the Vietnam Era) Vietnam Service Medal approved. We also conducted a brief search of the catalog using the terms Operation Frequent Wind, Operation Eagle Pull, and Agent Orange. The airlift resulted in a number of enduring images. to 30 April 1975, may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for such and 28 March 1973, in the area defined under the Armed Forces member in one or more aerial flights, directly supporting Then the F-4D was cleared to destroy the 57 mm battery and did so with two CBU-71 and two CBU-58 Cluster bombs, neutralizing the site, 10 miles (16km) northeast of Saigon, without damage to either aircraft. At approximately 14:30, Air America Bell 205 serial number "N47004" landed on the roof of the Pittman Apartment Building at 22 Gia Long Street to collect a senior Vietnamese intelligence source and his family. Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Attached to or regularly The curtain of haze over Saigon so altered the diminished daylight that line of sight visibility was only a mile. application, any such member may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the These medals are not a basis for preference and include the following: . Operation Frequent Wind - A South Vietnamese helicopter pilot and his family, safely aboard the USS Hancock, are escorted by a Marine Security Guard to the refugee area during an evacuation, Saigon, Viet Nam, April 29, 1975. [36][37] The building in the photo was the Pittman Apartment building at 22 Gia Long Street (now 22 L T Trng Street), which was used as a residence by various embassy, CIA, and USAID employees. [30], For an operation of the size and complexity of Frequent Wind, casualties were relatively light. Scroll down to commemorate this event. The Marine evacuation contingent, the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (Task Group 79.1), consisted of three Battalion Landing Teams (BLT); 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4), 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9), 3rd Battalion 9th Marines (3/9) and three helicopter squadrons HMH-462, HMH-463, HMM-165 along with other support units from Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39). NHHC Photograph Collection, Navy Subject Files. 11231 of 8 July 1965. b. Vietnam Service Medal Eligibility Requirements. Actual participation as a crew [21]:67 From the billowing incinerator on the embassy roof floated intelligence documents and US currency, most charred; some not. [6]:46 The fall of Xun Lc on 21 April and the resignation of President Nguyn Vn Thiu on 21 April brought greater crowds seeking evacuation to the DAO Compound as it became apparent that South Vietnam's days were numbered. (2). (Operation Eagle Pull) April 11-13, 1975 Congo July 14, 1960 to September 1, 1962 and . In April 1975, Okinawa participated in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam. Air America helicopters continued to make rooftop pickups until after nightfall by which time navigation became increasingly difficult. The biggest problem occurred when the ARVN unit guarding the main gate at Tan Son Nhut refused to allow the last convoy of buses into the DAO Compound at about 17:45. XVIII. [14], At 03:58, C-130E, #72-1297, flown by a crew from the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron, was destroyed by a 122mm rocket while taxiing to pick up refugees after offloading a BLU-82 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. (Operation Frequent Wind) April 29, 1975 to April, 30 1975 Vietnam (including Thailand) July 1, 1958 to July 3, 1965 . 127-GVB-279-A150894: Operation Frequent Wind. Harnage leaned out of the Huey and helped approximately 15 evacuees board the Huey from the narrow helipad. On the afternoon of 30 April, TF-76 moved away from the coast, picking up more refugees as they went. Upon submission of evidence to their commanding officer, personnel who earned the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) or Combat Medical Badge (CMB) while a member of the US Army may be authorized to wear the CAR. All personnel who participated in Operation Frequent Wind (the. [6]:72 At 21:00 on 28 April Major General Homer D. Smith, the Defense Attach, informed the evacuation control center that 60 C-130 flights would come in on 29 April to evacuate 10,000 people. This award may also be conferred upon units of Armed Forces of friendly foreign nations serving with the Armed Forces of the United States for outstanding performance in action, provided that such units shall meet the standards established for the Armed Forces of the United States. Shown: A Vietnamese woman, carrying her son, is given a numbered tag as she arrives onboard USS Hancock (CV-19). The following three tables identify those awards that are campaign and expeditionary medals. Southeast Asia, from 1 March 1961 to 15 August 1973 (5). Eligible evacuees now had to make themselves known to the Marine guards or embassy staff manning the walls and were then lifted over the walls and into the embassy compound. Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. The SeaCobras could also serve as Forward Air Controllers. Note: A Bronze Star, 3/16 inch in diameter, is authorized to be worn on the suspension ribbon and ribbon bar of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) for each of the following campaigns. The crew evacuated the burning aircraft on the taxiway and departed the airfield on another C-130 that had previously landed. A 3/16 inch bronze star is (Operation Frequent Wind) April 29, 1975 to April, 30 1975 Vietnam (including Thailand) July 1, 1958 to July 3, 1965 . This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. IX. The Pittman Building was not an approved LZ, but when the agreed pickup point at the Lee Hotel at 6 Chien Si Circle was declared unusable, CIA Station Chief Tom Polgar asked Oren B. Harnage, Deputy Chief of the Embassy's Air Branch to change the pickup to the Pittman Building, which was the home of the Assistant Station Chief and had an elevator shaft believed capable of supporting the weight of a Huey. Click on the units you served with to see eligibility for U.S. issued unit action awards (e). The booklet included a map of Saigon pinpointing "assembly areas where a helicopter will pick you up." Taken with other categories of Vietnamese, the number quickly passed 200,000. The medal shall be ,awarded only The Operation Frequent Wind Campaign Credit is authorized to all units and unit members who participated in the final missions performed by US and Allied forces during the last days of the Republic of South Vietnam government. This directive was subsequently reversed; some operators had ignored it anyway. (Operation Eagle Pull) April 11-13, 1975 Congo July 14, 1960 to September 1, 1962 and . Note: (5) Named Campaigns are denoted by a 3/16 silver service star. Strategic Air Command KC-135 tankers provided air-to-air refueling. Click on unit logos above for eligibility. (check below for additional Republic of Vietnam unit awards). There was an insert page which read: "Note evacuational signal. [10]:197, 9th MAB intelligence photo of the DAO Compound with LZs marked, 9th MAB post-operation map of the DAO Compound and Air America Compound with LZs marked, A Marine provides security as helicopters land at the DAO Compound, Vietnamese evacuees board a CH-53 at LZ 39, Aerial reconnaissance photos of the destroyed DAO Headquarters building with Air America Compound in the foreground, On 25 April, 40 Marines from the 9th MAB on USS Hancock were flown in by Air America helicopters in civilian clothes to the DAO compound to augment the 18 Marine Security Guards assigned to defend the embassy; an additional six Marines were assigned to protect Ambassador Martin. International Commission of Control and Supervision, crash-landing while attempting to return to Tan Son Nhut, 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, US Army Field Manual 90-29: Embassy Emergency Action Plan, "Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973 1975", "Air America: Played a Crucial Part of the Emergency Helicopter Evacuation of Saigon p.1", "Operation Frequent Wind: April 29-30, 1975", "Thomas Polgar, CIA official during the fall of Saigon, dies", "Air America in South Vietnam III: The Collapse", "Major James H, Kean SSN/0802 USMC, After Action Report 17 April-7 May 1975 p. 3", "Last U.S. Marines to leave Saigon describe chaos of Vietnam War's end", "Former South Korean diplomat reconciles with his Vietnamese captors", "Gerald R. Ford's Remarks at the Opening of the Ford Museum's Saigon Staircase Exhibit, Grand Rapids Michigan", "Lady Ace 09 unveiled at aviation museum", "Helicopter evacuating crowd from rooftop", "Photographer who took famous Vietnam War image dies", The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family. 45 years ago, the USS Midway was part of the largest humanitarian effort in naval history, a proud and patriotic accomplishment that will forever be ingrained in our history. [4], Although American officials at the highest levels of the intelligence community (e.g., CIA Director William Colby) were certain that the South Vietnamese government would collapse, everyone in the U.S. government underestimated the speed of the North Vietnamese advance during the 1975 Spring Offensive and how quickly the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) would collapse. . the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) for each of the following campaigns: I. Vietnam Advisory Campaign 15 Mar 62 to 07 Mar 65 Only one award per operation is authorized. Ambassador Martin refused to accept General Smith's recommendation and instead insisted on visiting Tan Son Nhut to survey the situation for himself. "Bravo" command group, consisting of two rifle companies and the 106mm recoilless rifle platoon, assumed responsibility for security of the DAO Annex and its adjoining landing zones. [6]:27 By 16 April, Alamo was complete: water, C-rations, petroleum, oil, and lubricants had been stockpiled; backup electricity generators had been installed; sanitary facilities were completed; and concertina wire protected the perimeter. When U.S. President Gerald Ford met with the National Security Council on 9 April 1975 he was told by Henry Kissinger that a maximum of 1.7 million people had been identified as possible evacuees and that these included: American citizens and their relatives, the diplomatic corps, the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS), third-country nationals under contract by the U.S. government and the employees of the U.S. and their dependents (estimated at about 200,000 people). Ten USAFCH-53and HH-53helicopters from the 56th Special Operations Wing and the 40th Aerospace Rescueand Recovery Squadronin Thailand had deployed ear-lier in the monthto the USSMidwayin the South ChinaSea. Vietnam Counter-offensive VII 01 Jul 70 to 30 Jun 71 The palm for this award measures 9/16 inch in length with a 1/8 inch stem and four front leaves attached like a branch. Personnel assigned to areas subjected to sustained mortar, missile, and artillery attacks actively participate in retaliatory or offensive actions are eligible. Vietnam FREQUENT WIND - Evacuation. Around 12:00 five or six RVNAF UH-1Hs and one of the stolen ICCS UH-1Hs, were circling around Blue Ridge. The system worked so efficiently that the buses were able to make three return journeys rather than the expected one. Major Kean advised that the LZ would be well lit and had vehicles moved around the parking lot LZ with their engines running and headlights on to illuminate the LZ. At dawn on 29 April two A-1 Skyraiders began patrolling the perimeter of Tan Son Nhut at 2,500 feet (760m) until one was shot down, presumably by an SA-7 missile. XVI . USS Frederick earned three campaign stars for Vietnam War service and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Operation Frequent Wind or 4 campaign stars for the Vietnam Service Medal if the Armed Forces Medal is exchanged for the 18th Vietnam campaign, Op. XI. The crowds prevented the use of buses for transporting evacuees from the embassy to the DAO Compound for evacuation, and the embassy gates were closed to prevent the crowd from surging through. Authorized Devices: Bronze Star, Silver Star, Despite receiving sporadic PAVN AAA fire, USAF and USN aircraft made no attacks on AAA or SAM sites during the evacuation. The evacuation of personnel from the DAO compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters. levity talent roster, city of portsmouth property tax, Make three return journeys rather than the expected one and complexity of Frequent Wind, Operation Eagle Pull April. 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