Nơi từng là 'nhà' của hàng chục ngàn người Việt Nam

Tiffany Lê/Người Việt

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Những hình ảnh, được vẽ và chụp, bởi một họa sĩ thuộc binh chủng Thủy Quân Lục Chiến Hoa Kỳ, về người tị nạn Việt Nam tại trại Pendleton hồi tháng Tư, 1975, sẽ được triển lãm từ nay cho đến cuối tháng 9 này.

Trong lúc chờ đợi được bảo trợ để hòa nhập vào xã hội, trẻ em Việt Nam xem... phim hoạt hình. (Hình: Triết Trần/Người Việt)

Năm 1975, một họa sĩ của quân đội Hoa Kỳ được giao nhiệm vụ vẽ những hình ảnh mang tính lịch sử của binh chủng Thủy Quân Lục Chiến. Nhận nhiệm vụ này, người họa sĩ leo lên các đồi trọc thuộc khu vực trại Pendleton để ghi lại các hoạt động của binh sĩ Thủy Quân Lục Chiến. Cùng thời điểm ấy, anh thấy hàng loạt trại đang được dựng lên. Trong các “căn nhà” này, hàng ngàn người Việt Nam đang sinh sống, tạm bợ. Và người họa sĩ bắt đầu vẽ những gì anh chứng kiến trước mắt.

Những người tị nạn Việt Nam, đến từ vùng nhiệt đới, chưa quen với cái lạnh của California. Trẻ em đã phải mặc những chiếc áo khoát của lính rộng thùng thình. (Hình: Triết Trần/Người Việt)

Tất cả các tác phẩm này, bây giờ được mang ra triển lãm, và người họa sĩ ngày xưa, bây giờ là Ðại Tá Charles Waterhouse. Cuộc triển lãm mang tên “Những Gì Họ Mang Theo,” cũng bao gồm nhiều hình chụp lịch sử của cuộc tạm cư lịch sử, của người Việt Nam tị nạn.

Trong số các bức tranh được triển lãm, người thưởng ngoạn sẽ phải chú ý ngay tác phẩm ghi hình trẻ em tị nạn mặc những chiếc áo khoát của lính, rộng thùng thình. Giám Ðốc Triển Lãm, Faye Jonason, nói với Người Việt: “Họ (Những người Việt Nam) đến từ vùng nhiệt đới, và thời tiết này đối với họ là quá lạnh.”

Giám Ðốc cuộc triển lãm, Faye Jonason, người có ý tưởng tố chức triển lãm, nói rằng rất nhiều người tò mò muốn biết về trại tạm cư ngày xưa. Bà Jonason nói bảo tàng có khoảng 10 ngàn tấm hình. (Hình: Triết Trần/Người Việt)

Trại Pendleton từng là căn cứ đầu tiên của Hoa Kỳ được trưng dụng một phần làm nơi dung chứa người Việt Nam trong chiến dịch “Operation New Arrivals.” Ước lượng, khoảng chừng 36 ngàn người tị nạn đã tá túc tại đây từ tháng Tư đến tháng 10, 1975.

Ðại tá, họa sĩ Charles Waterhouse được giao nhiệm vụ vẽ về sinh hoạt của binh sĩ Thủy Quân Lục Chiến, cùng thời điểm này, người tị nạn Việt Nam được đưa đến trại Pendleton. (Hình: Triết Trần/Người Việt)

Cuộc triển lãm mở cửa tự do cho công chúng đến xem, kéo dài từ nay đến ngày 30 tháng 9, tại Ranch House, nằm ngay trong trại Pendleton. Ðể biết thêm chi tiết, xin vào xem website www.oceansidepubliclibrary.org

Trở Lại Camp Pendleton sau 35 năm

CAMP PENDLETON 1975

Thanh Đen 71, Phạm Hòa 72, Bùi Hai ND, Châu Rè 71,

Hàng đứng Trung Vịt Bầu 71, Huệ Râu đang điều chỉnh mây ngón tay

Chào Quốc Kỳ Việt Nam Cộng Hòa tại Camp ground BSA Camp Pendleton

Trại 8 Camp Pendleton

Vietnamese Refugee Day Camp Pendleton April 8th 2010 at 10:00AM

Từ Quận Cam lấy I-5 South, exit Camp Pendleton, qua cổng chính và tiếp tục trên VANDERGRIFT ROAD cho đến khi qua khỏi BASILONE ROAD phía sau sân bay trực thăng và địa điểm ngay góc BASILONE và VANDERGRIFT ROADS.

Lấy freeway 5 South to Oceanside exit DEL MAR ( trước khi đến Oceanside). Quẹo trái ( qua dưới freeway) và vào cổng chính CAMP PENDLETON. khoảng 5 miles trên VANDEGRIFT BLVD cho đến khi qua khỏi sân bay trực thăng. Sau 3 STOP LIFGHTS sẻ đến BASILONE ROAD phía bên trái.
Địa điểm CAMP PENDLETON RANCH HOUSE phía tay phài của BASILONE ROAND ngang sân bay. Rất dể nhận diện và đã được trang trí và hướng dẩn cho quan khách.

USMC Major Bill Mimiaga and Lt. Pham

Marine

Oct 9 2005, 07:20 PM
Ex-refugees, veterans gather
at 'tent city'
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 20005101585
Story by LCpl. Brian J. Griffin

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (May 4, 2000) -- A quarter-century after the fall of Saigon, Vietnamese refugees and American veterans of the Vietnam War came together at the Hand of Hope Memorial Sunday at Camp San Mateo.
The ceremony served several purposes, said retired Maj. William Mimiaga, who oversaw Marines helping erect a massive 'tent city' that housed tens of thousands of refugees on base after the fall.
"First, it recognized the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which resulted in the creation of Operation New Arrival, the welcoming and the resettlement of the Vietnamese refugees to our country," he said about the ceremony.
Second, it recognized the positive contribution to our country and communities resettled refugees have made, Mimiaga continued. "We have schoolteachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, political appointees and, yes, even Marines who are of Vietnamese origin."
Third, it recognized the Vietnamese armed forces that were our allies in the fight against communism, Mimiaga said. "War brought us together as allies in a just cause, and peace, once again, brought us together in a day of remembrance for all those lost."
The ceremony brought together, shoulder to shoulder, the Vietnamese and American veterans who fought gallantly throughout the struggle in Southeast Asia, said retired BGen. Nhut Tran, a South Vietnamese general.
Many of the veterans who attended the ceremony, both American and Vietnamese, came together for the first time since the war, Mimiaga said.
"They immediately felt the old friendships and closeness, as comrades-in-arms and former allies. A lot of healing was accomplished this day and old friendships renewed," he added. "It was a heartfelt moment for us that only warriors and soldiers can understand and appreciate."
The refugees of 25 years ago came to commemorate their arrival in this country and to show their children where they lived before they were sponsored, Mimiaga said. "It also allowed the returning refugees, once again, to say thank you to the United States and especially to the men of the United States Marine Corps for welcoming them and taking care of them," Mimiaga said.
Saigon fell April 30, 1975. Refugees were already being transported to the United States by then, and work began April 28 to hastily erect the tent city.
"I was a Warrant Officer ..." Mimiaga recalled, "serving with the 11th Marines when the refugees arrived. I had a working party of 82 Marines helping to set up the tent camps.
"Having served two tours in Vietnam, I felt a tremendous personal sadness when Saigon fell. I welcomed the refugees with mixed emotions. Sadness for them losing their country and also for the tremendous loss that we paid with American lives."
"The Vietnam experience has left a scar on the United States and everyone involved. The ceremony here helped to continue the healing process," said Brian H. Ward, a Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war. "The healing process will go on for sometime, it is something you never forget."
Twenty-five years after the end of the war in Vietnam, a group of American and South Vietnamese war veterans and citizens formed a committee to build the world's first memorial commemorating the alliance between Vietnamese and American people during the war.
The memorial -- to be built on city property in Westminster, home of one of the largest populations of Vietnamese refugees in the United States -- will represent the sacrifice of 58,000 Americans and 300,000 South Vietnamese soldiers who died in the Vietnam conflict, Mimiaga said.
"It is a symbolic memorial for all warriors who (answered) their country's call."
For more information on the memorial, visit www.vnwarmemorial.com.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...light=2,vietnam


Direction:

From the I-5 South, exit Camp Pendleton, go through the main gate and continue on Vandegrift Road until you pass Basilone Road on the far side of the air wing and the drive is first on the left, right on the corner of Basilone and Vandegrift roads.
 
Direction form Major Bill Mimiaga

Take the 5 Fwy South to Oceanside and exit off the Del Mar Exit right before Oceanside. Turn left at stop sign and go under freeway and into main gate at Camp Pendleton. Travel about 5 miles into Camp Pendleton on Vandegrift Blvd and you will pass the airfield on your left full of helicopters. Go through about three stop lights and you will come up to Basilone Road on your left. The viewing is at the Camp Pendleton Ranch House on the right hand side of Basilone Road across from the airfield. Easy to get to and they will have it marked well for visitors.

                         UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

MARINE CORPS BASE

BOX 555031

CAMP PENDLETON, CA 92055-5031

       5750

       H&M 31 March 2010

Dear Major Mimiaga,

Please accept my personal invitation for you and your family to attend our exhibit opening on April 8, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at the Ranch House National Historic Site. "Images at War's End” is a special art and photographic exhibit depicting the refugee camps aboard Camp Pendleton after the Vietnam War. A copy of the announcement is included in this email.

To reach the Ranch House, enter the Main Gate of Camp Pendleton from I-5 in Oceanside by presenting a valid driver's license, current registration, proof of insurance and this letter.  From the gate take Vandegrift Boulevard until you reach the complex on the left side of the road just past the Air Station and the Basilone Road traffic light.

The Ranch House is the last building on the right side of the driveway. Enter the main door across from the flagpole.

I look forward to meeting you at the opening. Thank you for your interest and support of Camp Pendleton history.

        

CAMP PENDLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.

Preserving a Rich and Colorful History

Download QuickTime Player for your Mac or PC free.

Several historic buildings serve as reminders of Camp Pendleton’s rich and colorful past.  CPHS is dedicated to helping the Marine Corps restore and maintain these historic structures and to help build a visitor’s center and museum to give the public a better understanding of Camp Pendleton’s history and the exploits of its' Marines and sailors. For tours of the Santa Margarita Y Las Flores (Ranch House) or the Las Flores Adobe, contact Faye Jonason, History and Museums Officer at 760-725-3146 or send your request for a tour via e-mail.

MISSION MEMBERSHIP CONTACT US ABOUT US The Camp Pendleton Historical Society is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), corporation dedicated to supporting and promoting the historical programs of Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton by, * raising funds for the preservation of Base historic sites and museums, * promoting public pride and patriotism through an understanding of the historical, cultural, and architectural significance of the Base as mission land, a working ranch, and an amphibious training base, and * increasing public awareness of the Marine Corps role in preserving this national treasure. You can become a member today by donating as little as $35 to the Camp Pendleton Historical Society, Inc. Higher level memberships are also available. Memberships are valid for one year beginning on the last day of the month of joining. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. CPHS reserves the right to change incentives at any time without notice. New Active Duty Membership Level now available for only $35. Membership incentives information. Membership Information CPHSmembership@cox.net General Information CPHSinformation@cox.net BOARD OF DIRECTORS Col. Richard B. Rothwell, USMC (Ret) President Col. James L. Williams, USMC (Ret) Vice President Col. Joe. J. Kirkpatrick, USMC (Ret) Financial Officer Linda F. Holmes Secretary Howard G. Blair Director and Chairman, Marketing Committee G. Wayne Eggleston Director Faye Jonason Ex Officio Member Danielle Page Ex Officio Member SUPPORT GROUP Daniel S. Hapke, Esq. Pro bono Special Counsel Lt.Col. Jerry Broeckert, USMC (Ret) Volunteer Web Designer COUNCIL OF ADVISORS Lt.Gen. Matthew D. Cooper, USMC (Ret) Lt.Gen. Anthony Lukeman, USMC (Ret) L. Patrick Forster Anthony B. Joseph Maj.Gen. Michael Lehnert, USMC (Ret) Maj.Gen. James J. McMonagle, USMC (Ret) Anthony R. Moiso Maj.Gen. Wilbur F. Simlik, USMC (ret)

IN THE NEWS HELPFUL LINKS HISTORY OF CAMP PENDLETON FIRST QUARTER 2010 NEWSLETTER Now available in pdf format Archive of Newsletters and Published Stories Base History of Camp Pendleton Museums at Camp Pendleton In 1769, a Spaniard by the name of Capt. Gaspar de Portola led an expeditionary force that included Father Junipero Serra, northward from lower California, seeking to establish Franciscan missions throughout California. On July 20 of that same year, the expedition arrived at a location now known as Camp Pendleton, and as it was the holy day St. Margaret, they baptized the land in the name of Santa Margarita. more...

© 2008 CAMP PENDLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Liên Hội Cựu Chiến Sĩ Nam California gây quỷ Tổ Chức ngày Quân Lực 2010

Hình ảnh trích từ website kbchaingoai.net ( BĐQ Nguyễn P. Hùng cung cấp)

30.4.1975 - 30.4.2010

Celebrating Freedom in America aboard the USS Midway
Holiday Inn on the Bay

On April 30, 2010 at 12 Noon a special ceremony called "Celebrating Freedom in America" commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon will be held upon the USS Midway Museum in San Diego Harbor. This celebration will honor the people of Vietnam as well as the crew of the USS Midway and their participation in the events of April 30, 1975 in an operation known today as Operation Frequent Wind. Come join the festivities with this package at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. The Holiday Inn is located just a few short blocks from the USS Midway and walking distance to the great shopping, dining and nightlife of downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp District. Every room at this hotel has a private balcony offering fantastic views of the San Diego Bay or skyline. Enhance your San Diego vacation getaway with tickets to the Maritime Museum located directly across the street from the hotel or other favorite attractions like SeaWorld, the World Famous San Diego Zoo or the museums of Balboa Park.

PACKAGE INCLUDES

A stay at the Holiday Inn on the Bay  [ see details ] USS Midway Museum - Museum Admission [ see details ]

OPTIONAL ITEMS

Maritime Museum of San Diego - General Admission [ see details ] SeaWorld San Diego - SeaWorld San Diego 7-Day Pass [ see details ] Passport to Balboa Park - Passport to Balboa Park with Best Value Zoo Admission [ see details ] Museum of San Diego History - General Admission [ see details ] Old Town Trolley/Seal Tour Combo Ticket - Old Town Trolley/Seal Tour Combo Ticket [ see details ]

Holiday Inn on the Bay
San Diego, CA
The Holiday Inn San Diego Hotel On the Bay invites you to experience panoramic views of the San Diego Bay and Downtown city skyline. Walk along the bayfront, or just take in the splendor of our beautiful harbor from your balcony. Popular for it's proximity to fine restaurants, theaters, museums and... More Hotel Info · Location Info & Map

USS Midway Museum - Museum Admission
San Diego, CA Category: Arts & Culture
General Admission to the USS Midway. Guided tours are not included. Active Duty with ID are free. Children 5 & under are free. Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Maritime Museum of San Diego - General Admission
San Diego, CA Category: Arts & Culture
Includes admission to the Maritime Museum of San Diego's fleet of historic ships and the exhibits on board. * Includes admission to the Star of India, Berkeley, Medea, HMS Surprise and the B-39 Soviet submarine. Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

SeaWorld San Diego - SeaWorld San Diego 7-Day Pass
San Diego, CA Category: Theme Parks & Attractions
Print at Home Tickets Available! - Unlimited admission to SeaWorld San Diego for 7 consecutive days. Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Passport to Balboa Park - Passport to Balboa Park with Best Value Zoo Admission
San Diego, CA Category: Arts & Culture
This passport offers visitors the chance to experience fourteen museums and One-day Best Value admission to the world famous San Diego Zoo! Please note: Passport is valid for 7 days from first day of issue and is valid for one admission per museum/attraction. Includes One-day Best Value admission, guided bus tour and Skyfari aerial tram. Please note: The Science of...Aliens exhibition at the San Diego Air & Space Museum requires a separate admission of $9.75 for adults and $6.75 for youth. Admission to the permanent collections of the Air & Spa. Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Museum of San Diego History - General Admission
San Diego, CA Category: Arts & Culture
Includes admission to the San Diego Historical Society’s exhibitions at the Museum of San Diego History. Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Old Town Trolley/Seal Tour Combo Ticket - Old Town Trolley/Seal Tour Combo Ticket
San Diego, CA Category: Deals & Combo Tickets
A narrated sightseeing tour on a motorized trolley to the most celebrated and exciting places in San Diego. With on/off privileges at each stop, make it an all day tour or take a continuous 2-hour tour. In addition, you will also be viewing "America's Finest City" from a totally different perspective....on a "Boat with Wheels"! Experience San Diego the way it was intended - from Sea and Land. Climb aboard our Coast Guard approved Hydra-Terra amphibious vehicles for the adventure of a lifetime! Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973 - 1975

During the period from 29 March 1973 to 30 April 1975, the Defense Attaché Office (DAO), Saigon, administered the American military assistance to the Republic of Vietnam. Limited by the Paris Agreement to 50 or fewer military personnel, the activity was staffed predominantly by civilians and contractors. The DAO was responsible for providing supplies and material to the 42,000-man Vietnamese Navy, which operated 672 amphibious ships and craft, 20 mine warfare vessels, 450 patrol craft, 56 service craft, and 242 junks. The quality of personnel in the naval service remained adequate over the two-year period. A drastic cut in U.S. financial support, however, hurt the navy's overall readiness. The U.S. Congress appropriated only $700 million for fiscal year 1975, forcing the Vietnamese Navy to reduce its overall operations by 50 percent and its river combat and patrol activities by 70 percent. To conserve scarce ammunition and fuel, Saigon laid up over 600 river and harbor craft and 22 ships. The enemy did not target the waterways during 1973 and 1974, but such would not be the case in 1975 when the coastal areas of South Vietnam became the war's main operational theater.



Naval Evacuation of I and II Corps

The final test of strength between the Republic of Vietnam and its Communist antagonists that many observers had long predicted occurred in the early months of 1975. Seeking to erode the government's military position in the vulnerable II Corps area, on 10 March Communist forces attacked Ban Me Thuot, the capital of isolated Darlac Province, and routed the South Vietnamese troops there. The debacle convinced President Nguyen Van Thieu that even the strategic Pleiku and Kontum Provinces to the north could not be held and must be evacuated. Accordingly, on the fifteenth, government forces and thousands of civilian refugees began an exodus toward Tuy Hoa on the coast but that degenerated into a panicked flight when the enemy interdicted the main road. The enemy dispersed or destroyed many of the South Vietnamese II Corps units in this catastrophe.

These events set off a chain reaction as the demoralized South Vietnamese troops abandoned port after port along the South Vietnamese coast to swiftly advancing North Vietnamese forces. Learning of the disaster in II Corps and confused by contradictory deployment orders from Saigon, the defenders of I Corps also began to crack. Giving up Hue on 25 March, Vietnamese troops retreated in disorder toward Danang. The Vietnamese Navy rescued thousands of men cut off on the coast southeast of Hue, but heavy weather and the general confusion limited the sealift's effectiveness. On the previous day (24 March) government units evacuated Tam Ky and Quang Ngai in southern I Corps and also streamed toward Danang. Simultaneously, the navy transported elements of the 2d Division from Chu Lai to Re Island 20 miles offshore. With five North Vietnamese divisions pressing the remnants of the South Vietnamese armed forces and hundreds of thousands of refugees into Danang, order in the city disintegrated. Looting, arson, and riot ruled the city as over two million people sought a way out of the ever-closing trap.

During this period of growing chaos in South Vietnam, the U.S. Navy readied for evacuation operations. On 24 March, the Military Sealift Command (MSC), formerly the Military Sea Transportation Service, dispatched the following tugs, pulling a total of six barges, from Vung Tau toward Danang:

Asiatic Stamina
Chitose Maru
Osceola
Pawnee
Shibaura Maru

On 25 March, the following ships were alerted for imminent evacuation operations in South Vietnam:


SS American Racer
SS Green Forest
SS Green Port
SS Green Wave
SS Pioneer Commander
SS Pioneer Contender
SS Transcolorado
USNS Greenville Victory
USNS Sgt Andrew Miller
USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro

Noncombatants were chosen for the mission because the Paris Agreement prohibited the entry of U.S. Navy or other military forces into the country.

With the arrival at Danang of Pioneer Contender on 27 March, the massive U.S. sea evacuation of I and II Corps began. During the next several days four of the five barge-pulling tugs and Sgt. Andrew Miller, Pioneer Commander, and American Challenger put in at the port. The vessels embarked U.S. Consulate, MSC, and other American personnel and thousands of desperate Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. When the larger ships were filled to capacity with 5,000 to 8,000 passengers, they individually sailed for Cam Ranh Bay further down the coast. By 30 March order in the city of Danang and in the harbor had completely broken down. Armed South Vietnamese deserters fired on civilians and each other, the enemy fired on the American vessels and sent sappers ahead to destroy port facilities, and refugees sought to board any boat or craft afloat. The hundreds of vessels traversing the harbor endangered the safety of all. Weighing these factors, the remaining U.S. and Vietnamese Navy ships loaded all the people they could and steamed for the south. MSC ships carried over 30,000 refugees from Danang in the four-day operation. American Challenger stayed offshore to pick up stragglers until day's end on 30 March, when the North Vietnamese overran Danang.

In quick succession, the major ports in II Corps fell to the lightly resisted Communist advance. Hampered by South Vietnamese shelling of Qui Nhon, Pioneer Commander, Greenville Victory, Korean-flag LST Boo Heung Pioneer, and three tugs were unable to load evacuees at this city, which fell on 31 March. The speed of the South Vietnamese collapse and the enemy's quick exploitation of it limited the number of refugees rescued from Tuy Hoa and Nha Trang. Before the latter port fell on 2 April, however, Boo Heung Pioneer and Pioneer Commander brought 11,500 passengers on board and put out to sea.

Initially, Cam Ranh Bay was chosen as the safe haven for these South Vietnamese troops and civilians transported by MSC. But, even Cam Ranh Bay was soon in peril. Between 1 and 4 April, many of the refugees just landed were reembarked for further passage south and west to Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Siam. Greenville Victory, Sgt. Andrew Miller, American Challenger, and Green Port each embarked between 7,000 and 8,000 evacuees for the journey. Pioneer Contender sailed with 16,700 people filling every conceivable space from stem to stern. Crowding and the lack of sufficient food and water among the 8,000 passengers on board Transcolorado led a number of armed Vietnamese marines to demand they be discharged at the closer port of Vung Tau. The ship's master complied to avoid bloodshed, but this crisis highlighted the need for the Navy to provide better security.

As the magnitude of the calamity in I and II Corps became apparent, the Seventh Fleet deployed elements of the Amphibious Task Force (Task Force 76) to a position off Nha Trang. Because of the political restrictions on the use of American military forces in South Vietnam and the availability of MSC resources, however, Washington limited the naval contingent, then designated the Refugee Assistance Task Group (Task Group 76.8), to a supporting role. For the most part, this entailed command coordination, surface escort duties, and the dispatch of 50-man Marine security details to the MSC flotilla at sea. By 2 April, the task group--Dubuque, Durham (LKA 114), Frederick (LST 1184), and the Task Force 76 flagship Blue Ridge (LCC 19)--was monitoring operations at Cam Ranh Bay and Phan Rang. That same night the first Marine security force to do so boarded Pioneer Contender. A second contingent was airlifted to Transcolorado on the fourth. Dissatisfied with the condition of reception facilities on Phu Quoc and ill-tempered after the arduous passage south, armed passengers in Greenville Victory forced the master to sail to Vung Tau. Guided missile cruiser Long Beach (CGN 9) and escort Reasoner (DE 1063) intercepted the ship and stood by to aid the crew, but the voyage and debarkation of passengers proceeded uneventfully. In addition, Commander Task Group 76.8 immediately concentrated Dubuque, guided missile destroyer Cochrane (DDG 21), storeship Vega (AF 59), and the three ships of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha at Phu Quoc to position security detachments on each of the MSC vessels and to resupply the refugees with food, water, and medicines. Naval personnel also served as translators to ease the registration process. By 10 April, all ships at Phu Quoc were empty, thus bringing to a close the intracoastal sealift of 130,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese citizens. With stabilization of the fighting front at Xuan Loc east of Saigon and the Communists preparation for the final offensive, the need to evacuate by sea diminished. By the fourteenth all naval vessels had departed the waters off South Vietnam and returned to other duties.

Eagle Pull

Meanwhile, the Seventh Fleet focused its attention on Cambodia, in imminent danger of falling to the Communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Since 1970, the United States had aided the government of President Lon Nol in its struggle with the indigenous enemy and with North Vietnamese forces arrayed along the border with South Vietnam. The American support included a bombing campaign launched from Navy carriers and Air Force bases as far away as Guam and the delivery to Phnom Penh of arms, ammunition, and essential commodities through airlift and Mekong River convoy. Material assistance to the 6,000-man Cambodian Navy included the transfer of coastal patrol craft, PBRs, converted amphibious craft for river patrol and mine warfare, and auxiliary vessels. Despite this aid, by early 1975 the Communists in Cambodia controlled every population center but Phnom Penh, the capital. As the enemy tightened his ring around the city, the resistance of Cambodian government forces began to crumble.

Concluding that it was only a matter of time before all was lost in Cambodia, American leaders prepared to evacuate American and allied personnel from Phnom Penh. Fleet commanders revised and updated long-standing plans and alerted their forces for this special mission, designated Operation Eagle Pull. On 3 March 1975, Amphibious Ready Group Alpha (Task Group 76.4), and the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (Task Group 79.4) embarked and arrived at a designated station off Kompong Som (previously Sihanoukville) in the Gulf of Siam. By 11 April, the force consisted of amphibious ships Okinawa, Vancouver, and Thomaston (LSD 28), escorted by Edson (DD 946), Henry B. Wilson (DDG 7), Knox (DE 1052), and Kirk (DE 1087). In addition, Hancock disembarked her normal complement of fixed-wing aircraft and took on Marine Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 463 for the operation. Anticipating the need to rescue as many as 800 evacuees, naval leaders decided that they needed all of the squadron's 25 CH-53, CH-46, AH-1J, and UH-1E helicopters and Okinawa's 22 CH-53, AH-1J, and UH-1Es of HMH-462. The amphibious group also carried the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, which would defend the evacuation landing zone near the U.S. Embassy, and reinforced naval medical-surgical teams to care for any casualties. Land-based U.S. Air Force helicopters and tactical aircraft were also on hand to back up the naval effort. Commander U.S. Support Activities Group/7th Air Force (COMUSSAG) was in overall command of the evacuation operation.

On 7 April 1975, the American command put Amphibious Ready Group Alpha on three-hour alert and positioned the force off the Cambodian coast. In the early morning hours of 12 April Washington ordered execution of the daring mission. At 0745 local time, Okinawa began launching helicopters in three waves to carry the 360-man Marine ground security force to the landing zone. One hour later, after traversing 100 miles of hostile territory, the initial wave set down near the embassy and the Marines quickly established a defensive perimeter.

Within the next two hours, U.S. officials assembled the evacuees and quickly loaded them on Okinawa and Hancock helicopters. Because many already had left Cambodia by other means prior to the twelfth, the evacuees numbered only 276. The group included U.S. Ambassador John Gunther Dean, other American diplomatic personnel, the acting president of Cambodia, senior Cambodian government leaders and their families, and members of the news media. In all, 82 U.S., 159 Cambodian, and 35 other nationals were rescued.

By 1041 all the evacuees had been lifted out, and little more than one-half hour later the ground security force also was airborne and heading out to sea. At 1224 all aircraft and personnel were safely on board Amphibious Ready Group Alpha ships. Although one Khmer Rouge 75-millimeter shell landed near the embassy landing zone, no casualties were suffered during the entire operation. The following day, task group helicopters flew the evacuated personnel to Thailand and the naval force set sail for Subic Bay. Thus through detailed planning, preparation, and precise execution, the joint evacuation force successfully accomplished the military mission in Cambodia.

The Fall of South Vietnam

The experience gained in Operation Eagle Pull and in the refugee evacuations from South Vietnam's I and II Corps served the fleet well when the Republic of Vietnam, after 20 years of struggle, collapsed under the Communist onslaught. During the latter half of April, U.S. naval leaders prepared ships and men for the final evacuation of American and allied personnel from South Vietnam. The ships of the MSC flotilla were cleaned, restocked with food, water, and medicine; and deployed off Vung Tau in readiness. In addition, Marine security detachments embarked in each of the vessels and prepared to disarm boarding refugees and ensure order. Rincon (T-AOG-77) stood by to provide fuel to Vietnamese and American ships making the exodus from South Vietnam's waters.

The Seventh Fleet also marshalled its forces in the Western Pacific. Between 18 and 24 April 1975, with the loss of Saigon imminent, the Navy concentrated off Vung Tau a vast assemblage of ships under Commander Task Force 76.

Task Force 76
Blue Ridge (command ship)
Task Group 76.4 (Movement Transport Group Alpha)
Okinawa
Vancouver
Thomaston
Peoria (LST 1183)
Task Group 76.5 (Movement Transport Group Bravo)
Dubuque
Durham
Frederick
Task Group 76.9 (Movement Transport Group Charlie)
Anchorage (LSD 36)
Denver (LPD 9)
Duluth (LPD 6)
Mobile (LKA 115)

The task force was joined by Hancock and Midway, carrying Navy, Marine, and Air Force helicopters; Seventh Fleet flagship Oklahoma City; amphibious ships Mount Vernon (LSD 39), Barbour County (LST 1195), and Tuscaloosa (LST 1187); and eight destroyer types for naval gunfire, escort, and area defense. The Enterprise and Coral Sea carrier attack groups of Task Force 77 in the South China Sea provided air cover while Task Force 73 ensured logistic support. The Marine evacuation contingent, the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (Task Group 79.1), consisted of three battalion landing teams, four helicopter squadrons, support units, and the deployed security detachments.

After a dogged defense at Xuan Loc, the South Vietnamese forces defending the approaches to Saigon finally gave way on 21 April. With the outcome of the conflict clear, President Thieu resigned the same day. On the 29th, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces closed on the capital, easily pushing through the disintegrating Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces. Although U.S. and South Vietnamese leaders had delayed ordering an evacuation, for fear of sparking a premature collapse, the time for decision was now at hand.

At 1108 local time on 29 April 1975, Commander Task Force 76 received the order to execute Operation Frequent Wind (initially Talon Vise), the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese who might suffer as a result of their past service to the allied effort. At 1244, from a position 17 nautical miles from the Vung Tau Peninsula, Hancock launched the first helicopter wave. Over two hours later, these aircraft landed at the primary landing zone in the U.S. Defense Attache Office compound in Saigon. Once the ground security force (2d Battalion, 4th Marines) established a defensive cordon, Task Force 76 helicopters began lifting out the thousands of American, Vietnamese, and third-country nationals. The process was fairly orderly. By 2100 that night, the entire group of 5,000 evacuees had been cleared from the site. The Marines holding the perimeter soon followed.

The situation was much less stable at the U.S. Embassy. There, several hundred prospective evacuees were joined by thousands more who climbed fences and pressed the Marine guard in their desperate attempt to flee the city. Marine and Air Force helicopters, flying at night through ground fire over Saigon and the surrounding area, had to pick up evacuees from dangerously constricted landing zones at the embassy, one atop the building itself. Despite the problems, by 0500 on the morning of 30 April, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin and 2,100 evacuees had been rescued from the Communist forces closing in. Only two hours after the last Marine security force element was extracted from the embassy, Communist tanks crashed through the gates of the nearby Presidential Palace. At the cost of two Marines killed in an earlier shelling of the Defense Attaché Office compound and two helicopter crews lost at sea, Task Force 76 rescued over 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese.

Meanwhile, out at sea, the initial trickle of refugees from Saigon had become a torrent. Vietnamese Air Force aircraft loaded with air crews and their families made for the naval task force. These incoming helicopters (most fuel-starved) and one T-41 trainer complicated the landing and takeoff of the Marine and Air Force helicopters shuttling evacuees. Ships of the task force recovered 41 Vietnamese aircraft, but another 54 were pushed over the side to make room on deck or ditched alongside by their frantic crews. Naval small craft rescued many Vietnamese from sinking helicopters, but some did not survive the ordeal.

This aerial exodus was paralleled by an outgoing tide of junks, sampans, and small craft of all types bearing a large number of the fleeing population. MSC tugs Harumi, Chitose Maru, Osceola, Shibaura Maru, and Asiatic Stamina pulled barges filled with people from Saigon port out to the MSC flotilla. There, the refugees were embarked, registered, inspected for weapons, and given a medical exam. Having learned well from the earlier operations, the MSC crews and Marine security personnel processed the new arrivals with relative efficiency. The Navy eventually transferred all Vietnamese refugees taken on board naval vessels to the MSC ships.

Another large contingent of Vietnamese was carried to safety by a flotilla of 26 Vietnamese Navy and other vessels. These ships concentrated off Son Island southwest of Vung Tau with 30,000 sailors, their families, and other civilians on board.

On the afternoon of 30 April, Task Force 76 and the MSC group moved away from the coast, all the while picking up more seaborne refugees. This effort continued the following day. Finally, when this human tide ceased on the evening of 2 May, Task Force 76, carrying 6,000 passengers; the MSC flotilla of Sgt Truman Kimbro, Sgt Andrew Miller, Greenville Victory, Pioneer Contender, Pioneer Commander, Green Forest, Green Port, American Challenger, and Boo Heung Pioneer, with 44,000 refugees; and the Vietnamese Navy group set sail for reception centers in the Philippines and Guam. Thus ended the U.S. Navy's role in the 25-year American effort to aid the Republic of Vietnam in its desperate fight for survival.


The final test of strength between the Republic of Vietnam and its Communist antagonists that many observers had long predicted occurred in the early months of 1975. Demoralized South Vietnamese troops abandoned port after port along the South Vietnamese coast to swiftly advancing North Vietnamese forces. With five North Vietnamese divisions pressing the remnants of the South Vietnamese armed forces and hundreds of thousands of refugees into Danang, order in the city disintegrated. During this period of growing chaos in South Vietnam, the U.S. Navy readied for evacuation operations. On 25 March 1975, a number of ships were alerted for imminent evacuation operations in South Vietnam. Noncombatants were chosen for the mission because the Paris Agreement prohibited the entry of US Navy or other military forces into the country.

With the arrival at Danang of Pioneer Contender on 27 March 1975, the massive U.S. sea evacuation of I and II Corps began. During the next several days four of the five barge-pulling tugs and Sgt. Andrew Miller, Pioneer Commander, and American Challenger put in at the port. The vessels embarked U.S. Consulate, MSC, and other American personnel and thousands of desperate Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. When the larger ships were filled to capacity with 5,000 to 8,000 passengers, they individually sailed for Cam Ranh Bay further down the coast. Hampered by South Vietnamese shelling of Qui Nhon, Pioneer Commander, Greenville Victory, Korean-flag LST Boo Heung Pioneer, and three tugs were unable to load evacuees at this city, which fell on 31 March. The speed of the South Vietnamese collapse and the enemy's quick exploitation of it limited the number of refugees rescued from Tuy Hoa and Nha Trang. Before the latter port fell on 2 April, however, Boo Heung Pioneer and Pioneer Commander brought 11,500 passengers on board and put out to sea.

On the evening of 2 May 1975 the MSC flotilla of Sgt Truman Kimbro, Sgt Andrew Miller, Greenville Victory, Pioneer Contender, Pioneer Commander, Green Forest, Green Port, American Challenger, and Boo Heung Pioneer, with 44,000 refugees, set sail for reception centers in the Philippines and Guam. Thus ended the 25-year American effort to aid the Republic of Vietnam in its fight for survival.