Operation Frequent Wind
Part of Fall of Saigon
Vietnamese refugees disembarking helicopter
Date April 29, 1975–April 30, 1975 Location - Saigon, 17 nautical miles (31 km) from the Vung Tau Peninsula Result U.S. tactical victory with US forces airlifting over 50,000 people to safety
Belligerents
United States South Vietnam	- North Vietnamese - National Liberation Front
Commanders
Commander Task Force 76

Operation Frequent Wind was the emergency evacuation by helicopter from Saigon, South Vietnam, in April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War.

[edit] Operation Frequent Wind

USAF CH-53 helicopters on the deck of USS Midway during Operation Frequent Wind, April 1975.

Vietnamese UH-1 pushed over board.

The operation was based on Operation Eagle Pull, the American evacuation by air of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 12, 1975.^[1] Operation Eagle Pull had been a huge success in terms of meeting all goals set out by military planners.

"Frequent Wind" was the second code name chosen when the original code name "Talon Vise" was compromised.^[2] A code that was to be used to signal the start of Frequent Wind was distributed to the press and American civilians in the city. The code was a quotation on Armed Forces Radio: the comment that the temperature is rising, followed by eight bars of White Christmas. (Japanese journalists were concerned that they would not recognize the tune and had to get someone to sing it to them).^[3]

In the run up to the evacuation, thousands of Vietnamese wanted to escape the encroaching communist forces. With so many desperate people and so many civilians in knowledge of security codes, security was broken almost as soon as the code song was given out. When the operation started thousands of Vietnamese tried to flood what was thought to be the US embassy in Saigon.^[1] One of the landing zones was frequently referred to as the US Embassy, but in fact is an apartment building several blocks away (this building was Pittman Apartments which was used as residential quarters for various US diplomatic personnel) that was one of several pick-up points for the American evacuation. 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 later be engaged in the rescue of the SS Mayaguez). The last contingent of Americans that left Vietnam were U.S. Marine Security Guards who departed at 7:58 am from the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy.^[4]

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 to 30, 1975, immediately preceding the fall of Saigon. During the operation, so many South Vietnamese helicopters landed on the vessels taking the evacuees that some were pushed overboard to make room for more people. Other helicopters, having nowhere to land, were deliberately crash landed into the sea, close to the ships, their pilots bailing out at the last moment to be picked up by rescue boats.^[5] Many of the Vietnamese evacuees were allowed to enter the United States under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act.

[edit] In popular culture

• The stage musical, Miss Saigon, depicts events leading up to, and during Operation Frequent Wind, with the main protagonists (Chris and Kim) becoming separated as a result of the evacuation. In the second act, during Kim's nightmare sequence depicts the landing of the final helicopter, Lady Ace 09, on the US Embassy.

• In episode 11 of Hey Arnold!, Arnold learns that Mr. Hyunh was fortunate enough to have his infant daughter evacuated in Operation Frequent Wind, but without him. He later immigrated to the United States alone. Arnold tries to give Mr. Hyunh the best Christmas gift by reuniting them.^[6]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} history.navy.mil (2000). "Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973 - 1975" (HTML). history.navy.mil. http://www.history.navy.mil/seairland/chap5.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-24. 
2. ^ Butler, David (1985). The Fall of Saigon: Scenes from the Sudden End of a Long War. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-46675-5. 
3. ^ Lucas, Dean (2007). "Famous Pictures Magazine - Vietnam Airlift" (HTML). Famous Pictures Magazine. http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Vietnam_Airlift. Retrieved 2007-07-24. 
4. ^ [1] (2008). "AFTER ACTION REPORT~ 17 April ~ 7 May 1975". http://www.fallofsaigon.org/. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
5. ^ 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". http://lark.cc.ku.edu/~lance/Family/Julia/5128text.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-01. )
6. ^ "Hey Arnold! Character and Episode Guide". hey-arnold.com. 2008-06-06. http://www.hey-arnold.com/Arnold/arn_1spc.html#AC. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 

[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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Operation Frequent Wind

"Pictures of Operation Frequent Wind aboard USS Kirk". http://www.kirk1087.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=23. Retrieved 2006-09-09.  broken link as of 2009-11-11

"LtCol Jim Kean USMC, Retired "AFTER ACTION REPORT~ 17 April ~ 7 May 1975"". http://www.fallofsaigon.org/. Retrieved 2008-03-17.