(b). In any case this effectively marked the end of the commercial airlift from Tan Son Nhut. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese evacuated themselves by sea or air. (Authorization of the CAR must be approved either by the USMC or USN AwardsBranches. 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: (d) Public Law 107-314 of 2 December 2002 Click on the units you served with to see eligibility for U.S. issued unit action awards 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). [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. President Ford later called it "a sad and tragic period in America's history" but argued that "you couldn't help but be very proud of those pilots and others who were conducting the evacuation". (b) Sea Duty. Service for 30 [19], Despite all the concern over these military threats, the weather presented the gravest danger. XIII. By 20:30 the last evacuees had been loaded onto helicopters. 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. for the same service. [21]:7 At 03:27 President Gerald Ford ordered that no more than 19 additional lifts would be allowed to complete the evacuation. . Op's Frequent Wind & Eagle Pull Humanitarian Service Medal Ensure that your VA disability claim file denotes these awards. [6]:118 Other helicopters dropped off their passengers and were then ditched into the sea by their pilots, close to the ships, their pilots bailing out at the last moment to be picked up by rescue boats. C-130 flights were stopped temporarily after the air attack but resumed at 20:00 on 28 April. [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. XVII . [6]:91 During their approach to the compound, Carey and Gray got a firsthand view of the PAVN's firepower as they shelled nearby Tan Son Nhut Airport with ground, rocket, and artillery fire. 11. Personnel eligible for the award of the Purple Heart WOULD NOT necessarily qualify for the CAR. [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. The RVNAF pilots had been instructed after dropping off their passengers to ditch their helicopters and they would then be picked up by one of the ship's tenders. [6]:67 Also on 25 April the Federal Aviation Administration banned commercial flights into South Vietnam. [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. Operation Frequent Wind ship disposition 1975 - Recreated map.svg. 127-GVB-279-A150960: Operation Frequent Wind, April 29, 1975. This operation was also the debut combat deployment of the F-14 Tomcat aircraft. Military News and Information Editor http://www.13105320634.com The American War Library, Est. "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. (Operation Eagle Pull) April 11-13, 1975 Congo July 14, 1960 to September 1, 1962 and . XVIII. Companies E and F respectively occupied the northern and southern sections between the DAO headquarters and the DAO Annex. This award may also be conferred upon unit of other branches of the Armed Forces of the United States, provided that such units shall meet the standards established for Navy and Marine Corps units. (Operation Frequent Wind) April 29, 1975, to April 30, 1975. [10]:197 With the evacuation of the landing control teams from the Annex and Alamo completed, General Carey ordered the withdrawal of the ground security forces from the DAO Compound around 22:50. [35], On the afternoon of 29 April 1975, Hubert van Es, a Saigon-based photographer for United Press International, took the iconic photo of Operation Frequent Wind of an Air America UH-1 on a rooftop picking up Vietnamese evacuees. [6]:90 Finally at 10:51 the order was given by CINCPAC to commence Option 4; due to confusion in the chain of command, General Carey did not receive the execute order until 12:15. 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. 11231 of 08 July 1965. Her belongings will be tagged with the same number due to the language barrier between the refugees and Marines. Vietnam FREQUENT WIND - Evacuation. It has often been misidentified as the US Embassy. [20]:2829 With its available fleet of only 20 Hueys (3 of which were impounded, ditched or damaged at TF76), Air America had moved over 1,000 evacuees to the DAO Compound, the Embassy or out to the ships of TF76. present in the area merely for training purposes are not Shown: A Vietnamese woman, carrying her son, is given a numbered tag as she arrives onboard USS Hancock (CV-19). [29] Nixon's pledge of Peace with Honor in Vietnam had become a humiliating defeat, which together with Watergate contributed to the crisis of confidence that affected America throughout the 1970s. Operation FREQUENT WIND - 29 April - 30 April 1975. All personnel who participated in Operation Frequent Wind (the evacuation ofSaigon) are now automatically authorized the Vietnam Service Medal and VietnamCross of Gallantry. Frequent Wind During the fixed-wing evacuation 50,493 people (including 2,678 Vietnamese orphans) were evacuated from Tan Son Nhut. It was carried out on 2930 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. [21]:6 At 21:30 a CH-53 pilot informed Major Kean that Admiral Whitmire, Commander of Task Force 76 had ordered that operations would cease at 23:00. consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days, except that the time [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. [10]:201, During the demolition of the embassy, the metal staircase leading from the rooftop to the helipad was removed and sent back to the United States, where it is now on display at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. A total of 1,373 Americans and over 5,600 South Vietnamese nationals were . XIV. VI . [10]:200 At 04:30 with the 19 lift limit already exceeded, Major Kean went to the rooftop LZ and spoke over a helicopter radio with General Carey who advised that President Ford had ordered that the airlift be limited to US personnel. 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. This award may also maybe conferred upon units of the other branches of the Armed Forces of the United States and of friendly foreign nations serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, provided that such units shall meet the standards established for Navy and Marine Corps units. [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. XV . [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. 2 Per reference (b) above, paragraph 14 (Page 2-20) of said reference states: (1). Vietnam Ceasefire Campaign 30 Mar 72 to 28 Jan 73 limit may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat I was awarded the VSM as well as the humanitarian service medal. participating in or directly supporting military operations. [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. [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." during the period for which that ship is listed as eligible, are and 28 March 1973, in the area defined under the Armed Forces All personnel who participated in Operation Frequent Wind (the. serving, for one or more days, with an organization [18] Disgruntled ARVN troops repeatedly hit American helicopters with small arms fire throughout the evacuation, without causing serious damage. IX. The helicopters had to be pushed or ditched into the sea because of the lack of space on deck. [14]:567 A Marine AH-1J SeaCobra ran out of fuel while searching for USS Okinawa and ditched at sea, the two crew members were rescued by a boat from USS Kirk. [6]:36 At 08:30 on 29 April, with the shelling of Tan Son Nhut Airport subsiding, Air America began ferrying its helicopter and fixed-wing pilots from their homes in Saigon to the Air America compound at Tan Son Nhut, across the road from the DAO Compound. Evacuation of Phnom Penh and Saigon, April 29, 1975. A 3/16 inch bronze star is On 28 April, Tan Son Nhut Air Base (next to the airport) came under artillery fire and attack from Vietnamese People's Air Force aircraft. It was carried out on 29-30 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. The evacuation of personnel from the DAO compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters. [6]:9899 USAF aircraft operating out of Nakhon Phanom Air Base, Korat Air Base and U-Tapao Air Base in Thailand were also overhead for the duration of the helicopter evacuation. The Marines on the rooftop had sealed the doors and were using Mace to discourage the crowd from trying to break through. authorized, shall remain qualified for the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM). 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. Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC) Ribbon Synopsis: Awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps which has distinguished itself, under combat or non-combat conditions, by either valorous or meritorious achievement which renders the unit outstanding compared to other units performing similar service, but not sufficient to justify the award of the Navy Unit Commendation. area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was subsequently [14]:30, At 17:00 the first CH-46 landed at the embassy. Date. 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