consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days, except that the time Subsequent awards will be indicated by the use of a Gold Star on the ribbon: (1). [6]:79 Between 04:30 and 08:00 up to 40 artillery rounds and rockets hit around the DAO Compound. 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). VII .Vietnam Counter-offensive IV 02 Apr 68 to 30 Jun 68 The system worked so efficiently that the buses were able to make three return journeys rather than the expected one. Chief of Naval Operations [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. All Air America flights had ceased by 21:00. participation in Operation FREQUENT WIND, during the period 29 Southeast Asia, from 1 March 1961 to 15 August 1973 (5). Operation Frequent Wind concluded more than two decades of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. present in the area merely for training purposes are not [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. On the ground floor a water tanker was driven through the chancery door and the crowd began to surge up through the building toward the rooftop. [10]:196 The plan for the evacuation included stationing buses and American civilian bus drivers at 28 buildings throughout metropolitan Saigon. I was awarded the VSM as well as the humanitarian service medal. We located a number of references to photographs and documents primarily held by our colleagues at the National Archives at College Park, MD related to these subjects. [20]:20, At 11:00 the security situation at the Air America compound was deteriorating as General Carey did not wish to risk his Marines by extending his perimeter to cover the Air America compound (LZ 40), so all Air America helicopters from this time operated out of the tennis courts in the DAO Annex (LZ 35). All of my awards were issued also. 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. She began her deployment heading West and . [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. both awards for service in an area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) has been The Military Departments are . Perdue presented the medals to Petrazewsky for his heroics during Operation Frequent Wind in Vietnam in 1975. . The table below lists approved operations for award of the HSM. Personnel in clandestine or special operations such as reconnaissance and SEAL teams are eligible when the risk of enemy fire was great and was expected to be encountered. (Operation Eagle Pull) April 11-13, 1975 Congo July 14, 1960 to September 1, 1962 and . On the afternoon of 30 April, TF-76 moved away from the coast, picking up more refugees as they went. echelons, transients, observers, and personnel assigned for It's a laundry ship". 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. By mid-April, contingency plans were in place and preparations were underway for a possible helicopter evacuation. Harnage boarded an Air America Huey from the Embassy's rooftop heliport and flew the short distance to the Pittman Building. Once completed, the new defensive perimeter encompassed only LZ 36 and the Alamo. 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". [34] The USS Midway is a museum ship in San Diego. [10]:191192, The HMH-462 CH-53s loaded with evacuees and left the compound, they unloaded the first evacuees delivered by Operation Frequent Wind at 15:40. Vietnam (including Thailand) July 1, 1958, to July 3, 1965. The airlift resulted in a number of enduring images. From 7 October 1987 to 7 April 1988, Okinawa was deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of mine sweeping operations and MAGTF 1-88. This will be followed by the playing of I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. [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. As they approached the helicopters had taken rifle and M-79 grenade fire from ARVN troops but without causing any apparent damage. [6]:2021 In late March, two or three of these MAC aircraft were arriving each day and were used to evacuate civilians and Vietnamese orphans. Planning for the evacuation of the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies from South Vietnam had begun before April 1975. 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). Martin told them that he would not tolerate any outward signs that the United States intended to abandon South Vietnam. English: Map showing the disposition of U.S. Navy ships at the start of "Operation Frequent Wind", in April 1975. During the course of the operation an unknown number of RVNAF helicopters flew out of what remained of South Vietnam to the fleet. Helicopters overflew the designated LZs to check no Americans had been left behind and then the last helicopters (many low on fuel) headed out to TF76, located USS Midway or USS Hancock and shut down. The Operations were called "Eagle Pull" and "Frequent Wind". [6] Originally codenamed "Talon Vise", the operation was renamed "Frequent Wind" when the original codename was compromised. [36][37] The building in the photo was the Pittman Apartment building at 22 Gia Long Street (now 22 L T Trng Street), which was used as a residence by various embassy, CIA, and USAID employees. one award of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). 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. (3) Eligible Ships and Units. The service medal was awarded to all members of the armed forces who served in Vietnam and contiguous waters and airspace between 01 July 1958 and 28 March 1973. Pay tribute to a Vietnam War Hero past or present and hear the stories of Operation Frequent Wind and the Fall of Saigon from those . [6]:103 At 00:30 on 30 April, thermite grenades, having been previously placed in selected buildings, ignited as two CH-53s left the DAO parking lot carrying the last elements of BLT 2/4. 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. instances where the local commander certifies a particular and In addition, two CH-46s would provide medical evacuation capabilities while AH-1J SeaCobras would fly cover for the transport helicopters and for any ground units who requested support. serving, for one or more days, aboard a naval vessel directly 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. Sporadic gunfire from around the embassy passed over the rooftop. [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. Subsequent awards will be indicated by the use of a Gold Star on the ribbon: (1). April 30, 1975 marks the date of Operation Frequent Wind, one of the largest humanitarian rescues in naval history. 111. Vietnam, Summer-Fall 1969 09 Jun 69 to 31 Oct 69 Sanctuary Counter-offensive 01 May 70 to 30 Jun 70 [41][42], The operation was the subject of the 2014 PBS documentary Last Days in Vietnam.[43]. 127-GVB-279-A150894: Operation Frequent Wind. X. Tet 69 Counter-offensive 23 Feb 69 to 08 Jun 69 127-GVB-279-A150966: Operation Frequent Wind, April 29, 1975. Most of the Marines were inside the chancery when the crowds outside the embassy broke through the gates into the compound. V. Vietnam Counter-offensive I11 01 Jun 67 to 29 Jan 68 The U.S. Air Force played a key role in Operation FRE-QUENTWIND. However, no person shall be entitled to both awards for service in an area for which the VSM has been authorized. of the United States in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air Send the form to: Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office Room 5409, 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 To obtain information about unit awards earned, contact the Chief of Naval Operations, Awards and Special Projects Branch at the address below. [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. [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. 11231 of 8 July 1965. b. Vietnam Service Medal Eligibility Requirements. They were evacuated to Bangkok on 1 August 1976. 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. 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. "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 FREQUENT WIND - 29 April - 30 April 1975. Squadrons or units embarked in a ship, Operations. [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. 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. [6]:22 Also on 1 April, Plan Alamo was implemented to defend the DAO compound and its annex so it could serve as a holding area for 1,500 evacuees for five days. The fixed-wing evacuation was terminated and Operation Frequent Wind began. 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. The booklet included a map of Saigon pinpointing "assembly areas where a helicopter will pick you up." Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for such service. A South Vietnamese pilot lands his Huey helicopter on the deck of USS Hancock (CV-19). 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. 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. OPERATION FREQUENT WIND, 29-30 APRIL 1975, WILL BE REFLECTED AS THE 18TH CAMPAIGN UNDER THE VIETNAM CAMPAIGN. [30], For an operation of the size and complexity of Frequent Wind, casualties were relatively light. 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. General Carey's threat to use the AH-1J SeaCobra helicopter gunships flying overhead may have played a role in the ARVN commander's decision. [3] The evacuation took place primarily from the Defense Attach Office compound, beginning around 14:00 on the afternoon of 29 April, and ending that night with only limited small arms damage to the helicopters. Please rescue me. Service for 30 Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. (a) Vietnam Service Medal is awarded to all members of the Armed Forces Upon application, any such member may be awarded the VSM in lieu of the AFEM for such service. Helicopters began to clog ship decks and eventually, some were pushed overboard to allow others to land. Operation Frequent Wind - A South Vietnamese helicopter pilot and his family, safely aboard the USS Hancock, are escorted by a Marine Security Guard to the refugee area during an evacuation, Saigon, Viet Nam, April 29, 1975. [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. 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. 29 Apr 1975 - 30 Apr 1975 Mayaguez 15-May-1975 El Salvador 1 Jan 1981 - 1 Feb 1992 Lebanon 1 Jun 1983 - 1 Dec 1987 Grenada Operation URGENT FURY 23 Oct 1983 - 21 Nov 1983 Libya EL DORADO CANYON 12 Apr 1986 - 17 Apr 1986 Persian Gulf EARNEST WILL 24 Jul 1987 - 1 Aug 1990 Her belongings will be tagged with the same number due to the language barrier between the refugees and Marines. 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