Operation FREQUENT WIND

The North Vietnamese army closes in on Saigon. Remaining U.S. personnel execute Operation FREQUENT WIND, the evacuation of Americans, foreign nationals, South Vietnamese officials, and citizens associated with Americans from the city.

During the final North Vietnamese assault, runways at Tan Son Nhut Air Base are damaged and strewn with debris, making evacuation by fixed-wing aircraft impossible. With over 800 U.S. Marines providing security for the operation, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force helicopters evacuate over 7,000 personnel—primarily Americans and Vietnamese—from Tan Son Nhut, the U.S. Defense Attaché Office, and the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The evacuees are transported to ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet offshore, including the USS Okinawa, Hancock, Dubuque, Denver, Duluth, Mobile, Peoria, and Vancouver, among others.¹