Humanitarian· Vietnam War
Op FREQUENT WIND
Operation Frequent Wind was the final evacuation of Saigon as North Vietnamese forces closed on the South Vietnamese capital in the last hours of the war, the largest helicopter evacuation in history.
With the airfield rendered unusable, Marines secured the landing zones at the Defense Attaché Office compound and the American Embassy and provided the ground security force while helicopters shuttled thousands of Americans, South Vietnamese, and other evacuees out to the fleet offshore through a long day and night of mounting chaos. The Marines held the perimeters against the press of desperate crowds and the approaching enemy, controlling the evacuation until the last loads, including the embassy's Marine security guards, were lifted off the roof. The operation closed the American chapter in Vietnam in scenes of both crisis and disciplined execution. Frequent Wind was the dramatic and sorrowful final act of the long war, the Marines covering the departure to the end.
Engagements in this conflict (1)
Record no. 716