Operation Frequent Wind
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Operation Frequent Wind was the emergency evacuation by helicopter from Saigon, South Vietnam, in April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War.
1,373 U.S. citizens and 5,595 Vietnamese and third country nationals were evacuated by military and Air America helicopters to U.S. Navy ships off-shore in an approximately 24-hour period on April 29-30, 1975, immediately preceding the fall of Saigon. Protecting the evacuation force on the ground in South Vietnam were combat elements of the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, including the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and 2nd Battalion 9th Marines (which would two weeks following be engaged in the rescue of the SS Mayaguez).
During the operation so many South Vietnamese helicopters landed that some were pushed overboard to make room for more.[1]
"Frequent Wind" was the second code name chosen when the original code name "Talon Vise" was compromised.[2]
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[edit] In popular culture
- The musical Miss Saigon, depicts events leading up to, and during Operation Frequent Wind, with the main protagonists becoming separated as a result of the evacuation.
[edit] References
- ^ Bowman, John S. (1985). The Vietnam War: An Almanac. Pharos Books. ISBN 0-911818-85-5. p434. (Cited at Rombough, Julia. Frequent Wind: The Last Days of the Vietnam War. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.)
- ^ Butler, David (1985). The Fall of Saigon: Scenes from the Sudden End of a Long War. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-46675-5.
[edit] Further reading
- Snepp, Frank. Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam. University Press of Kansas, 1977. ISBN 0-7006-1213-0
[edit] External links
Operation Frequent Wind aboard USS Kirk. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.
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