The Final Countdown
 

44 years today the final stages of the evacuation of the American Embassy in Saigon was underway. Over 6000 Vietnamese and 1000 Americans had safely departed. Only the Marine Security Guards remained. Cpl. Charles McMahon and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge — early April 29 while they stood guard at the defense attache compound at Tan Son Nhat Airport were killed by artillery bombardment. They would be the last U.S. servicemen to die in a war that killed some 58,000 Americans. I was lucky enough to have served as an "Ambassador in Blue" with a number of these Marines during that time and found their stories to be no less than heroic.



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Re: The Final Countdown
 

Every American should visit the Memorial in DC. Along with Arlington (changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier another “must do”) and the Lincoln Memorial you can see the triumph as well as the tragedy that marks our history. I once worked with a young manager who had immigrated to the US when Saigon fell. Turns out he was on one of C5’s that carried out hundreds of kids. He was very fortunate and would gladly attest to that.

Re: The Final Countdown
 

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God bless you, Marines.

Re: The Final Countdown
 

Eddie, you are the most thoughtful person I've ever met. Thank you for calling attention to these brave very young Americans who were faithful to the end. Everybody needs to see the Vietnam wall or the traveling wall that tours the country occasionally. It's the most somber sight you will ever see.Darwin Judge was born two years after I was. They didn't draft guys born in '54, although we registered for the draft. That means he had to have been an enlisted man.

Re: The Final Countdown
 

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Thank you for your kind words. These worldwide detachments are all enlisted men, MSgt Valdez was the senior man on site in Saigon. Major Keene was the Company Commander and was posted at the Company Headquarters in Hong Kong. He came to the Embassy in Saigon for a short time then departed in the second to the last CH-46. During this time I was posted in New Delhi, India as a Sgt. These Marines that are posted with the State Department are the 1% of the Marine Corps, very dedicated and well trained in the protection of the Embassy and the American personnel attached to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSrE6gV_ubE