As they approached the helicopters had taken rifle and M-79 grenade fire from ARVN troops but without causing any apparent damage. service in Vietnam, and no person shall be entitled to more than As the imminent collapse of Saigon became evident, the U.S. Navy assembled Task Force 76 off the coast near Vng Tu to support a helicopter evacuation and provide air support if required. I was present as a Marine attached to the USS Denver during Operation Frequent Wind during April and part of May in 1975. The booklet included a map of Saigon pinpointing "assembly areas where a helicopter will pick you up." The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was intended to only be a secondary evacuation point for embassy staff, but it was soon overwhelmed with evacuees and desperate South Vietnamese. IX. [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. Campaign Stars are authorized for Ain-country personnel@ for periods as indicated below: 16605 Forest Green Terrace 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. 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. [5] The Saigon plan had been developed over a number of years. RVNAF Huey is pushed overboard from USS Midway. Helicopters began to clog ship decks and eventually, some were pushed overboard to allow others to land. [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. 21st SOS Frequent Wind and Mayaguez Incident gallery, Video clip: Footage of evacuation operations underway aboard USS Midway, including historic Cessna O-1 landing by VNAF pilot Major Buang, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Frequent_Wind&oldid=1131016156, Option 1: Evacuation by commercial airlift from, Option 2: Evacuation by military airlift from Tan Son Nhut and other South Vietnamese airports as required, Option 3: Evacuation by sea lift from Saigon port, Option 4: Evacuation by helicopter to US Navy ships in the, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 03:59. 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. NHHC Photograph Collection, Navy Subject Files. [6]:67 Also on 25 April the Federal Aviation Administration banned commercial flights into South Vietnam. Awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in the grade of captain/colonel and junior thereto, who have actively participated in ground or surface combat. [10]:192[20]:22 This move created fuel problems for Air America as they no longer had access to the fuel supplies in their compound and at least initially they were refused fuel by the ships of TF76. [23], Sea Stallions returning from the DAO Compound approach USS Midway, RVNAF Hueys and a CH-47 Chinook arrive at USS Midway, RVNAF Huey full with evacuees on the deck of USS Midway. [6]:92, The evacuation proceeded without interference from the PAVN. 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. 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. International Commission of Control and Supervision, crash-landing while attempting to return to Tan Son Nhut, 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, US Army Field Manual 90-29: Embassy Emergency Action Plan, "Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973 1975", "Air America: Played a Crucial Part of the Emergency Helicopter Evacuation of Saigon p.1", "Operation Frequent Wind: April 29-30, 1975", "Thomas Polgar, CIA official during the fall of Saigon, dies", "Air America in South Vietnam III: The Collapse", "Major James H, Kean SSN/0802 USMC, After Action Report 17 April-7 May 1975 p. 3", "Last U.S. Marines to leave Saigon describe chaos of Vietnam War's end", "Former South Korean diplomat reconciles with his Vietnamese captors", "Gerald R. Ford's Remarks at the Opening of the Ford Museum's Saigon Staircase Exhibit, Grand Rapids Michigan", "Lady Ace 09 unveiled at aviation museum", "Helicopter evacuating crowd from rooftop", "Photographer who took famous Vietnam War image dies", The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family. eligible for the award. [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. area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was subsequently The following amplifying remarks are furnished as guidance. [20]:29. USAF F-4s, F-111s and A-7s provided air cover during daylight, being replaced by AC-130s from the 16th Special Operations Squadron at night. 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. Click on unit logos above for eligibility. (2) Personnel Eligible. application, any such member may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the Please rescue me. XVI . [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. Strategic Air Command KC-135 tankers provided air-to-air refueling. [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. At the beginning of March, fixed-wing aircraft began evacuating civilians from Tan Son Nhat Airport through neighboring countries. Only one award per operation is authorized. [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. On the afternoon of 30 April, TF-76 moved away from the coast, picking up more refugees as they went. member in one or more aerial flights, directly supporting Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. After receiving permission from the airborne commander, the Wild Weasel marked the three 57-mm sites with an AGM-45 Shrike missile and took evasive action to escape the tracers coming in. To avert mid-air collisions, the planners chose altitudes which would provide separation of traffic and also a capability to see and avoid the enemy's AAA, SA-2 and SA-7 missile threat (6,500 feet (2,000m) for flights inbound to Saigon and 5,500 feet (1,700m) for those outbound from Saigon to the Navy ships). [21]:67 From the billowing incinerator on the embassy roof floated intelligence documents and US currency, most charred; some not. Operation FREQUENT WIND (Evacuation of Saigon), 29 and 30 April 1975 (Note: Other Operations do not pertain to the Vietnam Era) Vietnam Service Medal In Operation Frequent Wind a total of 1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and third-country nationals were evacuated by helicopter. 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. OPERATION FREQUENT WIND, 29-30 APRIL 1975, WILL BE REFLECTED AS THE 18TH CAMPAIGN UNDER THE VIETNAM CAMPAIGN. It is so sad that so many of use never received what was due us.. a. b. 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. (c) Air Duty. [21]:5 Air America UH-1s began ferrying evacuees from other smaller assembly points throughout the city and dropping them on the Embassy's rooftop LZ. Refugees arrive aboard USS Midway.29 April 1975. bdpopeye Mi Field Marshall MI.Net Member TAARB Joined Jul 12, 2006 and 28 March 1973, in the area defined under the Armed Forces 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. The curtain of haze over Saigon so altered the diminished daylight that line of sight visibility was only a mile. Hugh van Es believed that Miss Saigon misappropriated his photo and considered legal action against the show, but decided against it. 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. of service between 1 July 1958 and 3 July 1965, inclusive, in an [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. Official Military Ribbons is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense or any branch of service. The tail rotor sheared off and embedded itself in the engine of an Air America Bell 205 that was doing a hot refueling on the helipad at the rear of the ship. 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. Chambers ordered the flight deck crew to clear the landing area; in the process an estimated US$10 million worth of UH-1 Huey helicopters were pushed overboard into the South China Sea. The code is: The temperature in Saigon is 105 degrees and rising. At this time, the embassy indicated that another 19 lifts would complete the evacuation. [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. [28], While the operation itself was a success, the images of the evacuation symbolized the wastefulness and ultimate futility of American involvement in Vietnam. [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. Vietnam Defense Campaign 08 Mar 65 to 24 Dec 65 Date. However, no person shall be entitled to All personnel who participated in Operation Frequent Wind (the. Go To Top of Page Go To Issue Regulations for Other Medals and Badges participating in or directly supporting military operations. 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