On that final day, USAF aircraft flew a total of 1,422 sorties over Saigon. E.O. However, no person shall be entitled to both awards 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. C-130 flights were stopped temporarily after the air attack but resumed at 20:00 on 28 April. 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. Members qualified for the AFEM by reason of service between 01Jul1958 and 03Jul1965 (inclusive) in an area for which the Vietnam Service medal (VSM) was subsequently authorized shall remain qualified for that medal. (b) Vietnam Service Medal is awarded to all members of the Armed Forces [10]:179181, It was not known whether the PAVN and/or the ARVN would try to disrupt the evacuation and so the planners had to take all possible contingencies into account to ensure the safety and success of the evacuation. Helicopters overflew the designated LZs to check no Americans had been left behind and then the last helicopters (many low on fuel) headed out to TF76, located USS Midway or USS Hancock and shut down. 127-GVB-279-A150966: Operation Frequent Wind, April 29, 1975. Vietnam Counter-offensive VI 02 Nov 68 to 22 Feb 69 [34] The USS Midway is a museum ship in San Diego. Company G occupied the eastern section of the Annex, while Company H assumed control of the western section. The SeaCobras could also serve as Forward Air Controllers. [6]:34 American commercial and contract carriers continued to fly out of Tan Son Nhut, but with decreasing frequency. [27] Forty-nine Americans, including dependents, were also left behind or chose to remain in Saigon. V. Vietnam Counter-offensive I11 01 Jun 67 to 29 Jan 68 The pilot of the stolen ICCS Huey had been told to ditch off the port quarter of the ship, but seemed reluctant to do so, flying around the ship to the starboard bow he jumped from his helicopter at a height of 40 feet (12m). [41][42], The operation was the subject of the 2014 PBS documentary Last Days in Vietnam.[43]. [21], By the morning of 29 April, it was estimated that approximately 10,000 people had gathered around the embassy, while some 2,500 evacuees were in the embassy and consular compounds. XIV. 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. RVNAF pilot jumps from his Huey after dropping evacuees on USS Midway, One of the more notable events occurred on Midway when the pilot of an RVNAF Cessna O-1 dropped a note on the deck of the carrier. [6]:8 There were about 17,000 at-risk Vietnamese on embassy rolls, which, using an average of seven dependents per family, meant that the number requiring evacuation was 119,000. The cause of the crash was never determined. This office can identify awards earned by Navy units. Writer Claude-Michel Schnberg has acknowledged that the musical was inspired by pictures of the evacuation. Two LZs were now available in the embassy compound, the rooftop for UH-1s and CH-46s and the new parking lot LZ for the heavier CH-53s. Ambassador Martin soon sent word back to Major Kean that sorties would continue to be flown. [9] Workers from Pacific Architects and Engineers visited each of the 13 LZs to remove obstructions and paint H's the size of a UH-1 Huey helicopter's skids. [6]:22 Also on 1 April, Plan Alamo was implemented to defend the DAO compound and its annex so it could serve as a holding area for 1,500 evacuees for five days. area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was subsequently 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. They quickly established an austere command post in preparation for the arrival of the Marine CH-53s and the ground security force. XV . Operation Firebreak 5-Sep-1987 15-Sep-1987 United States Operation Pocket Planner (Note 1) 1-Nov-1987 1-Nov-1987 [6]:70 C-130s leaving Tan Son Nhut reported receiving PAVN .51 cal and 37mm anti-aircraft (AAA) fire,[6]:7172 while sporadic PAVN rocket and artillery attacks also started to hit the airport and air base. MARINES THAT WERE AWARDED THE ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL FOR PARTICIPATING IN OPERATION FREQUENT WIND FROM 29-30 APRIL 1975 ARE NOW ENTITLED TO EXCHANGE IT FOR THE VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL PER SECTION 542 IN PUBLIC LAW 107-314. Vietnam, Winter-Spring 1970 01 Nov 69 to 30 Apr 70 Naval Unit Commendation (NUC) Ribbon Synopsis: Awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps which has distinguished itself by outstanding heroism is action against the enemy, but not sufficient to justify the award of the Presidential Unit Citation; or to any such unit which has distinguished itself by extremely meritorious service not involving combat but in support of military operations, rendering the unit outstanding compared to other units performing similar service. . Send the form to: Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office Room 5409, 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 To obtain information about unit awards earned, contact the Chief of Naval Operations, Awards and Special Projects Branch at the address below. When the evacuation is ordered, the code will be read out on Armed Forces Radio. A Silver Star, 3/16 inch in diameter, is authorized for wear in place of five (5) Bronze Stars when a total of five (5) campaigns have been recognized. Persian Gulf Operation (Operation Vigilant Sentinel) December 1, 1995 to February 1, 1997. . Frequent Wind Note: operational control in the area involved. Among those arriving at the embassy were Phan Quang n, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for social welfare and refugee resettlement,[14]:27 and Lieutenant-General ng Vn Quang. In addition, a flotilla of Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships were assembled and these carried out seaborne evacuations from Saigon Port, this fleet comprised: On 28 April at 18:06, three A-37 Dragonflies piloted by former RVNAF pilots, who had defected to the Vietnamese People's Air Force at the fall of Da Nang, dropped six Mk81 250lb bombs on Tan Son Nhut Air Base destroying several aircraft. Scroll down to commemorate this event. Vietnam Counter-offensive I1 01 Jul 66 to 31 May 67 [6]:80, At dawn the RVNAF began to haphazardly depart Tan Son Nhut Air Base as A-37s, F-5s, C-7s, C-119s and C-130s departed for Thailand while UH-1s took off in search of the ships of TF-76. [6]:69 Armed guards were also present on each flight to prevent hijacking. Squadrons or units embarked in a ship, [40], In The Simpsons at the end of Episode 16 of Season 6, "Bart vs. Australia", the Simpsons are evacuated from the American Embassy as angry Australians gather outside in a scene reminiscent of Hubert van Es's famous photo. Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. [20]:2425 A stolen Air America Bell 204 landed on Kirk, from where US Navy pilots flew it to Okinawa. X. Tet 69 Counter-offensive 23 Feb 69 to 08 Jun 69 [10]:196 Between 19:00 and 21:00 General Carey transferred 3 platoons (130 men) of BLT 2/4 into the embassy compound to provide additional security and assistance for the embassy. [10]:187, The air wings of USS Enterprise and USS Coral Sea, were ready to provide close air support and anti-aircraft suppression if required with their A-6 and A-7 attack aircraft, and would provide continuous fighter cover the evacuation route including by VF-1 and VF-2, flying from Enterprise with the first combat deployment of the new F-14A Tomcat. [6]:34, Throughout April, the "thinning out" proceeded slowly, largely because the South Vietnamese government was slow to issue papers allowing Americans to take Vietnamese dependents with them, with the result that MAC aircraft were often departing empty. (Operation Frequent Wind) April 29, 1975 to April, 30 1975 Vietnam (including Thailand) July 1, 1958 to July 3, 1965 . [6]:38[10]:178179, By late March, the embassy began to reduce the number of U.S. citizens in Vietnam by encouraging dependents and non-essential personnel to leave the country by commercial flights and on Military Airlift Command (MAC) C-141 and C-5 aircraft, which were still bringing in emergency military supplies. for operations for which no other U.S. campaign medal is [6]:62 President Thiu and his family left Tan Son Nhut on 25 April on a USAF C-118 to go into exile in Taiwan. and 28 March 1973, in the area defined under the Armed Forces Operation FREQUENT WIND (Evacuation of Saigon), 29 and 30 April 1975, (Note: Other Operations do not pertain to the Vietnam Era), Common questions about the number of campaign stars for the Vietnam Service Medal: Upon application, any such member may be awarded the VSM in lieu of the AFEM for such service. [20]:21 At some point during the morning RVNAF personnel took five ICCS UH-1H Hueys and one Air America Bell 204 from the Air America ramp. Personnel assigned to areas subjected to sustained mortar, missile, and artillery attacks actively participate in retaliatory or offensive actions are eligible. The performance of duty in carrying out a mission under the ordinary hazards of war, or participation in extended periods of combat duty, or in a large number of combat missions does not itself justify the award, which is designated to recognize specific acts of heroism on the part of the unit acting as a team. In Operation Frequent Wind a total of 1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and third-country nationals were evacuated by helicopter. In addition, two CH-46s would provide medical evacuation capabilities while AH-1J SeaCobras would fly cover for the transport helicopters and for any ground units who requested support. Upon [10]:188, As part of the evacuation plan agreed with the DAO, Air America committed 24 of its 28 available helicopters to support the evacuation and 31 pilots agreed to stay in Saigon to support the evacuation; this meant that most helicopters would have only one pilot rather than the usual two. 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. [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. Click on the units you served with to see eligibility for U.S. issued unit action awards Southeast Asia, from 1 March 1961 to 15 August 1973, (5). space thereof, between 4 July 1965 and 28 March 1973, and It is so sad that so many of use never received what was due us.. Martin told them that he would not tolerate any outward signs that the United States intended to abandon South Vietnam. 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. An award will not be made to a unit for actions of one or more of its component parts, unless such unit performed as a total team in a manner justifying the award. (b). During the fixed-wing evacuation 50,493 people (including 2,678 Vietnamese orphans) were evacuated from Tan Son Nhut. VIII. XIII. Moments later a RVNAF UH-1H attempted to land on the helipad, locked rotors with the Air America Bell, almost pushing it overboard. [20]:2728 The scene was famously captured on film by Hubert van Es. 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. Separately, all USMC and selected land-based USN personnel who participated inOperation Frequent Wind or Operation Eagle Pull are additionally authorized theVietnam Civil Actions Medal along with the Vietnam Service Medal. Operation Frequent Wind - 29 to 30 April 1975 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Navy Unit Commendation Hancock was also awarded: American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Navy Occupation Medal National Defense Service Medal (2nd) Around 12:00 five or six RVNAF UH-1Hs and one of the stolen ICCS UH-1Hs, were circling around Blue Ridge. Operation Frequent Wind ship disposition 1975 - Recreated map.svg. Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, before the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the Fall of Saigon. Consolidation I1 01 Dec 71 to 29 Mar 72 Hancock would be involved in both operations. No person may be issued both the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for DIVE! 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. Attached to or regularly [6]:8587, In preparation for the evacuation, the American Embassy had distributed a 15-page booklet called SAFE, short for "Standard Instruction and Advice to Civilians in an Emergency." (a). It's a laundry ship". 127-GVB-279-A801616: Operation Frequent Wind, April 29, 1975. To justify this award, the service performed as a unit must be of a character comparable to that which would merit the award of the Bronze Star Medal, or achievement of like caliber in a non-combat situation, to an individual. application, any such member may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the [7], By 1975, the Frequent Wind plan aimed to evacuate about 8,000 U.S. citizens and third-country nationals, but it was never able to estimate the number of South Vietnamese to include. Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. [8], On 1 April an evacuation control center manned by U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) personnel began operating at the Defense Attach Office (DAO) compound on 12-hour shifts, increasing to 24-hour shifts the next day. It has often been misidentified as the US Embassy. [6]:2021 In late March, two or three of these MAC aircraft were arriving each day and were used to evacuate civilians and Vietnamese orphans. Bronze Arrowhead (Army), For current prices select the image or one of the following links, Military Medals and Military Ribbons links, Official Military Ribbons-- provides information and links for. Vietnam FREQUENT WIND - Evacuation. In addition, the Vietnamese relatives of American citizens and senior Government of Vietnam officials and their dependents (about 600,000 people) were also identified as potential evacuees, along with Vietnamese formerly employed by the U.S. and their dependents. 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