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. The Marines on the rooftop had sealed the doors and were using Mace to discourage the crowd from trying to break through. Around 12:00 five or six RVNAF UH-1Hs and one of the stolen ICCS UH-1Hs, were circling around Blue Ridge. Members of rear [20]:20, So many RVNAF helicopters landed on the TF76 ships that some 45 UH-1 Hueys and at least one CH-47 Chinook were pushed overboard to make room for more helicopters to land. [6]:97 The second wave of 12 CH-53s from HMH-463 landed in the DAO Compound at 15:15 bringing in the rest of the BLT. Tet Counter-offensive 30 Jan 68 to 01 Apr 68 There was an insert page which read: "Note evacuational signal. [41][42], The operation was the subject of the 2014 PBS documentary Last Days in Vietnam.[43]. [6]:69, With the fall of Saigon imminent, between 18 and 24 April the U.S. Navy assembled ships off Vng Tu under Commander Task Force 76:[8], USSOklahoma City (Seventh Fleet flagship), Task Group 76.4 (Movement Transport Group Alpha), Task Group 76.5 (Movement Transport Group Bravo), Task Group 76.9 (Movement Transport Group Charlie). On 23 April President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines announced that no more than 2,500 Vietnamese evacuees would be allowed in the Philippines at any one time, further increasing the strain on MAC which now had to move evacuees out of Saigon and move some 5,000 evacuees from Clark Air Base on to Guam, Wake Island and Yokota Air Base. [6]:111 However, one USAF report states that an F-4C Wild Weasel and an F-4D of the 388th Fighter Wing, was patrolling between Tan Son Nhut and Bien Hoa about 16:00 when the Wild Weasel detected SAM radar emissions to the north. both awards for service in an area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) has been XV . (Authorization of the CAR must be approved either by the USMC or USN AwardsBranches. At 15:00 the first CH-53s were sighted heading towards the DAO Compound at Tan Son Nhut. 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. [3]:86, The two major evacuation points chosen for Operation Frequent Wind were the DAO Compound next to Tan Son Nhut Airport for American and Vietnamese civilian evacuees, and the U.S. Embassy, Saigon for embassy staff. [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. [6]:34 American commercial and contract carriers continued to fly out of Tan Son Nhut, but with decreasing frequency. Click on unit logos above for eligibility. [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. Vietnam Defense Campaign 08 Mar 65 to 24 Dec 65 Consolidation I 01 Jul 71 to 30 Nov 71 [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. The booklet included a map of Saigon pinpointing "assembly areas where a helicopter will pick you up." Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for Vietnam. Military News and Information Editor http://www.13105320634.com The American War Library, Est. These altitudes were also high enough to avoid small arms and artillery fire. The medal shall be ,awarded only [20]:2829 With its available fleet of only 20 Hueys (3 of which were impounded, ditched or damaged at TF76), Air America had moved over 1,000 evacuees to the DAO Compound, the Embassy or out to the ships of TF76. April 30, 1975 marks the date of Operation Frequent Wind, one of the largest humanitarian rescues in naval history. [6] Originally codenamed "Talon Vise", the operation was renamed "Frequent Wind" when the original codename was compromised. Taken with other categories of Vietnamese, the number quickly passed 200,000. [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. Moments later a RVNAF UH-1H attempted to land on the helipad, locked rotors with the Air America Bell, almost pushing it overboard. this group is here to have members share their personal experiences with the evacuations of Phnom Penh and Saigon, and the SS Mayaquez recovery, events leading up to and after those operations. 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. one award of the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). However, no person shall be entitled to both awards application, any such member may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the To justify this award, the service performed as a unit must be of a character comparable to that which would merit the award of the Bronze Star Medal, or achievement of like caliber in a non-combat situation, to an individual. (d) Public Law 107-314 of 2 December 2002 stipulates that personnel who were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for their participation in Operation FREQUENT WIND, during the period 29 to 30 April 1975, may elect the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) in lieu of the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for such service. Sporadic gunfire from around the embassy passed over the rooftop. Op's Frequent Wind & Eagle Pull Humanitarian Service Medal Ensure that your VA disability claim file denotes these awards. [6]:24 On 4 April, a C-5A aircraft carrying 250 Vietnamese orphans and their escorts suffered explosive decompression over the sea near Vng Tu and made a crash-landing while attempting to return to Tan Son Nhut; 153 people on board died in the crash. The curtain of haze over Saigon so altered the diminished daylight that line of sight visibility was only a mile. operation, are eligible for the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM). stipulates that personnel who were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditioanry Medal (AFEM) for their I was present as a Marine attached to the USS Denver during Operation Frequent Wind during April and part of May in 1975. [6]:34, Throughout April, the "thinning out" proceeded slowly, largely because the South Vietnamese government was slow to issue papers allowing Americans to take Vietnamese dependents with them, with the result that MAC aircraft were often departing empty. during the period for which that ship is listed as eligible, are In addition, military aircraft from Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries flew in to evacuate their embassy personnel. In addition, personnel serving in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia in direct support of operations in Vietnam during the same time period also were eligible for the medal. XI. 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. (b). 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. [6]:79 Between 04:30 and 08:00 up to 40 artillery rounds and rockets hit around the DAO Compound. Subsequent awards will be indicated by the use of a Gold Star on the ribbon: (1). English: Map showing the disposition of U.S. Navy ships at the start of "Operation Frequent Wind", in April 1975. [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. [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. [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. No person may be issued both the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for Air America helicopters continued to make rooftop pickups until after nightfall by which time navigation became increasingly difficult. for operations for which no other U.S. campaign medal is area for which the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was subsequently On the afternoon of 30 April, TF-76 moved away from the coast, picking up more refugees as they went. 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