U.S. Evacuation and Fall of Saigon During the Vietnam War

By 1974, the North Vietnamese troops had violated the Paris Peace Accords and had renewed their attack on the south. It was clear the Republic of Vietnam would fall. In April of 1975, as North Vietnamese troops approached the southern capital of Saigon, President Ford ordered the evacuation of all Americans from the country. This segment from Iowa Public Television’s Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary includes archival footage, a first-person account from a United States Marine helicopter pilot participating in the evacuation, and reflections on the era from an Iowa news reporter. Major funding for the Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary was provided by Casey’s General Stores; additional funding provided by Prairie Meadows.