It took 43 years to get my dd214 changed to the dd215. It is so sad that so many of use never received what was due us.. Writer Claude-Michel Schnberg has acknowledged that the musical was inspired by pictures of the evacuation. Authorized Devices: Bronze Star, Silver Star, 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. On that final day, USAF aircraft flew a total of 1,422 sorties over Saigon. MSC tugs pulled barges filled with people from Saigon Port out to TF-76. Marine corporals McMahon and Judge, killed at the DAO compound, were the only members of US forces killed in action during the operation and they were the last US ground casualties in Vietnam. Squadrons or units embarked in a ship, [2]:92. By 22 April, 20 C-141 and 20 C-130s flights a day were flying evacuees out of Tan Son Nhut to Clark Air Base,[6]:60 some 1,000 miles away in the Philippines. [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. Awarded to all members of the Armed Forces of the United States serving at anytime between 03Jul1965 and 28Mar1973 in the area defined under the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for Vietnam. Official Military Ribbons is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense or any branch of service. One AC-119 gunship had spent the night of 28/29 April dropping flares and firing on the approaching PAVN. Tet Counter-offensive 30 Jan 68 to 01 Apr 68 At 10:00 Ambassador Martin confirmed General Smith's assessment and at 10:48 he contacted Washington to recommend Option 4, the helicopter evacuation. [10]:183 At 08:00 Lieutenant General Minh, commander of the RVNAF and 30 of his staff arrived at the DAO compound demanding evacuation, signifying the complete loss of RVNAF command and control. 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. The history and Technology of Submarines (Grade 5), To the Ends of the Earth and Beyond (Grades 5-8), The Date that Lives in Infamy: Pearl Harbor (High School), Codes and Signals: Breaking the Spy Games of World War II and Vietnam, Damage Control Mission Brief: (Blue Navy) A Study Based on the Battle of Okinawa, Damage Control Mission Brief: (Green Navy) A Study Based on the Battle of Okinawa, Author Talk: The Suffragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World with Rebecca Boggs Roberts and Lucinda Robb, Family Art Workshop: Kites and Observation, Talk: The Washington Navy Yard During the Civil War, A Conversation with Historians Dr. Regina Akers and Dr. Eddie Valentin: From Benjamin Drummond to Doris Miller: Race, Identity, and the Struggle Against Discrimination in the U.S. Navy, Virtual Book Talk: When Giants Ruled the Sky: the Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Rigid Airship, with John J. Geoghegan and Curator, Gordon Calhoun, April 29, 1975 Operation Frequent Wind, April 18, 1906 -- San Francisco, California, December 16, 1922 Rescue of Vinh-Long Passengers, September 6, 1930 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, December 1948-January 1949-Beirut, Lebanon and Port Said, Egypt, 1954-1955 Vietnam (Operation Passage to Freedom), October 13, 1954 -- Haiti (Hurricane Hazel), February 7, 1955: Evacuation of Chinese from Tachen Islands, October 1955: Tampico, Mexico (Hurricane Janet), October 1959 Nagoya, Japan (Typhoon Vera), November 3, 1961 - Belize, British Honduras (Hurricane Hattie), August 1969 Mississippi (Hurricane Camille), October-December 1973 Colombia and Haiti, February 1975 Mauritius (Cyclone Gervaise), 1980-1989 Rescue of Vietnamese Refugees, September 21, 1981 Rescue of Datu Kalantiaw, January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger, April-August 1989 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, September-October 1989 Charleston, South Carolina, January 1990 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, August 5, 1990 Liberia (Operation Sharp Edge), 1991-1996 - Iraq (Operation Provide Comfort), 1992-1993 Somalia (Operation Restore Hope), 1992-1996 Yugoslavia (Operation Provide Promise), March 1997 - Albania (Operation Silver Wake), January-March 1998 Kenya (Operation Nobel Response). 127-GVB-279-A150894: Operation Frequent Wind. Vietnam Counter-offensive VI 02 Nov 68 to 22 Feb 69 [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. serving, for one or more days, with an organization 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. Description. [38] Hubert van Es' photo is frequently used in political cartoons commenting on US foreign policy. The Operations were called "Eagle Pull" and "Frequent Wind". [6]:34 American commercial and contract carriers continued to fly out of Tan Son Nhut, but with decreasing frequency. The airlift resulted in a number of enduring images. Most of the Marines were inside the chancery when the crowds outside the embassy broke through the gates into the compound. Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam prior to the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese Army It was carried out on 29-30 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. The following three tables identify those awards that are campaign and expeditionary medals. [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. XVIII. No person may be issued both the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for Authorization. Consolidation I 01 Jul 71 to 30 Nov 71 The U.S. Air Force played a key role in Operation FRE-QUENTWIND. 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. 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. ships or units, and who actually participated in the given In the helicopter evacuation a total of 395 Americans and 4,475 Vietnamese and third-country nationals were evacuated from the DAO compound[10]:197 and a further 978 U.S. and 1,120 Vietnamese and third-country nationals from the embassy,[10]:201 giving a total of 1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and third country nationals. 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. With the collapse of South Vietnam, numerous boats and ships, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) helicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft sailed or flew out to the evacuation fleet. Evacuation plans already existed as a standard procedure for American embassies. Scroll down to commemorate this event. "[15] Frank Snepp later recalled the arrival of helicopters at the embassy while the song was playing over the radio as a "bizarre Kafkaesque time". [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. [6]:73, At 03:30 on 29 April a PAVN rocket hit Guardpost 1 at the DAO Compound, instantly killing Marine Corporals McMahon and Judge. [10]:196 The evacuation from the DAO Compound was completed by about 19:00 after which all helicopters would be routed to the embassy; Major Kean was informed that operations would cease at dark. Southeast Asia, from 1 March 1961 to 15 August 1973, (5). List of Authorized Campaign Stars. 127-GVB-279-A150966: Operation Frequent Wind, April 29, 1975. Strategic Air Command KC-135 tankers provided air-to-air refueling. A South Vietnamese C-130 aircraft, trying to take off was hit by enemy SA-7 rockets and burns on the runway during the evacuation exercises in Saigon. Martin had remained optimistic that a negotiated settlement could be reached whereby the US would not have to pull out of South Vietnam and, in an effort to avert defeatism and panic he instructed Major James Kean, commanding officer of the Marine Security Guard Battalion and Ground Support Force Commander United States Embassy Compound, that he could not begin to remove the tamarind tree and other trees and shrubbery which prevented the use of the embassy parking lot as a helicopter landing zone. Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. 2 Per reference (b) above, paragraph 14 (Page 2-20) of said reference states: (1). [21]:6 At the same time, General Carey met Admiral Whitmire to convince him to resume flights to the embassy despite pilot fatigue and poor visibility caused by darkness, fires and bad weather. Major Kean saw Ambassador Martin to request that he contact the Oval Office to ensure that the airlift continued. for operations for which no other U.S. campaign medal is (c) Members qualified for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM), by reason both awards for service in an area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) has been [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. National Defense Service Medal Combat Action Ribbon-Operation Frequent Wind Navy Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one Bronze star-. Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. During the fixed-wing evacuation 50,493 people (including 2,678 Vietnamese orphans) were evacuated from Tan Son Nhut. [34] The USS Midway is a museum ship in San Diego. [14]:63, After the evacuation signal was given, the buses began to pick up passengers and head to the DAO Compound. [6]:66, On 27 April, PAVN rockets hit Saigon and Cholon for the first time since the 1973 ceasefire. An award will not be made to a unit for action of one or more of its component parts, unless such unit performed as a total team in a manner justifying the award. A total of 1,373 Americans and over 5,600 South Vietnamese nationals were . 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. [6]:35, By late April, Air America helicopters were flying several daily shuttles from TF76 to the DAO Compound to enable the 9th MAB to conduct evacuation preparations at the DAO without exceeding the Paris Peace Accords' limit of 50 U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam. operational control in the area involved. [6]:37 President Ford, in an address to the American public on 11 April, promised to evacuate Vietnamese civilians of various categories. It has often been misidentified as the US Embassy. Operation Frequent Wind and Vietnam Service Medal All personnel who participated in Operation Frequent Wind (the evacuation of Saigon) are now automatically authorized the Vietnam Service. to 30 April 1975, may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for such C-130 flights were stopped temporarily after the air attack but resumed at 20:00 on 28 April. 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. A C-130 Airborne Command and Control controlled all US air operations over land. c. Engagement Stars. When Lady Ace 09 transmitted "Tiger is out", those helicopter crews still flying thought the mission was complete, and delayed evacuating the Marines from the embassy rooftop. [30], For an operation of the size and complexity of Frequent Wind, casualties were relatively light. 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. [10]:198, By 02:15 on 30 April one CH-46 and one CH-53 were landing at the embassy every 10 minutes. [20]:30, At 14:06 two UH-1E Huey helicopters carrying General Carey and Colonel Alfred M. Gray Jr. (commander of Regimental Landing Team 4 (RLT4)) landed at the DAO Compound. The evacuation of personnel from the DAO compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters. military operations. service. [20]:2224 According to US Naval Archives, at 12:30 an Air America Bell 205 landed Air Vice Marshal Nguyn Cao K, Madame K, Dorothy Martin (wife of Ambassador Martin) and others on USS Denver; however, contemporary reports state and photos show that Marshal K piloted his own UH-1H Huey to USS Midway. [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. Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for such service. [17] Members of the police in Saigon had been promised evacuation in exchange for protecting the American evacuation buses and control of the crowds in the city during the evacuation. Only one award per operation is authorized. [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. The U.S. government was continuing to observe its obligations under the Accords, notwithstanding the North Vietnamese invasion. Two Marine CH-53 helicopters set down in a parking lot on the north edge of Saigon during the evacuation. Between 19:00 and 21:00 on 29 April approximately 130 additional Marines from 2nd Battalion 4th Marines were lifted from the DAO Compound to reinforce perimeter security at the embassy,[10]:195 bringing the total number of Marines at the embassy to 175. During the fixed-wing evacuation 50,493 people (including 2,678 Vietnamese orphans) were evacuated from Tan Son Nhut. 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. To justify citation, the unit must have clearly rendered itself conspicuous by action of a character comparable to that which would merit the award of a Navy Cross to an individual. The SeaCobras could also serve as Forward Air Controllers. By 20:30 the last evacuees had been loaded onto helicopters. RVNAF Huey is pushed overboard from USS Midway. Only one award per operation is authorized. Operation FREQUENT WIND (Evacuation of Saigon), 29 and 30 April 1975 (Note: Other Operations do not pertain to the Vietnam Era) Vietnam Service Medal It was carried out on 29-30 April 1975, during the last days of the Vietnam War. All planning would have to be conducted with the utmost discretion. and eight destroyer types for naval gunfire, escort, and area defense, including: The USSEnterprise and USSCoral Sea carrier attack groups of Task Force 77 in the South China Sea provided air cover while Task Force 73 ensured logistic support. [14]:30, At 17:00 the first CH-46 landed at the embassy. [6]:82, At 07:00 on 29 April, Major General Smith advised Ambassador Martin that fixed-wing evacuations should cease and that Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of US personnel and at-risk Vietnamese should commence. Upon application, any such member may be awarded the VSM in lieu of the AFEM for such service. [10]:189, The first wave of 12 CH-53s from HMH-462 loaded with BLT 2/4's command groups "Alpha" and "Bravo", and Company F and reinforced Company H arrived in the DAO Compound at 15:06 and the marines quickly moved to reinforce the perimeter defenses. English: Map showing the disposition of U.S. Navy ships at the start of "Operation Frequent Wind", in April 1975. Click on red bar for more info. Chief of Naval Operations [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. 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. [21]:6, Inside the embassy, the evacuees had found whatever space was available inside the embassy compound and evacuees and some staff proceeded to take alcohol from the embassy's stores. participating in or directly supporting military operations. As this was happening, a firefight between two ARVN units broke out and caught the rearmost buses in the crossfire, disabling two of the vehicles. of the United States in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air Letter, Dept of the Navy, Office of the Secretary, SUBJECT: Guidance to Administer the Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) IAW Public Law 106-65, dated 13 march 2000, (b). 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). 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). operations. Her belongings will be tagged with the same number due to the language barrier between the refugees and Marines. The following three tables identify those awards that are campaign and expeditionary medals. 1 Considering the dates prescribed in the legislation, the following combat periods, which were approved under prior direction, are approved to consider awarding of the CAR: World War II 07 December 1941 through 14 April 1946, Korean War 27 June 1950 through 27 July 1954. 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). [20]:22 By 10:30 all of Air America's fixed-wing aircraft had departed Tan Son Nhut, evacuating all non-essential personnel and as many Vietnamese evacuees as they could carry and headed for Thailand. [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. Go To Top of Page Go To Issue Regulations for Other Medals and Badges 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. (Operation Frequent Wind) April 29, 1975, to April 30, 1975. [1][2]:14. Many of the Vietnamese evacuees were allowed to enter the United States under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act. Evacuation of Phnom Penh and Saigon, April 29, 1975. Tens of thousands of Vietnamese evacuated themselves by sea or air. [5] The Saigon plan had been developed over a number of years. [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. approved. [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. serving, for one or more days, aboard a naval vessel directly During the course of the operation an unknown number of RVNAF helicopters flew out of what remained of South Vietnam to the fleet. should be submitted to CNO/CMC, via the commander who exercised Operation FREQUENT WIND was the first major operation [10]:188, In the event that the PAVN or ARVN shot down a helicopter or a mechanical malfunction forced one to make an emergency landing in hostile territory, two orbiting CH-46s of MAG-39 each carrying 15-man, quick-reaction "Sparrow Hawk" teams of Marines from 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, from USS Blue Ridge, were ready to land and provide security enabling a search and rescue helicopter to pick up the crew. 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