The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Chris Woods - Frequent Wind - Saigon(4/30/75) - Apr. 30th, 2003

http://fallofsaigon.org/woods.htm ^

[SAMWolf]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

.................................................................................................................................

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Operation Frequent Wind
. . . as told by Chris Woods,
Crew Chief of Swift 2-2.

"Gentlemen, start your engines." The laconic command copied from the Indianapolis 500 auto races, echoed from the 1MC, the public-address system of the U.S.S. Hancock. Moments later, the Commanding Officer of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, LtCol. Herbert Fix, lifted his CH-53A Sea Stallion off the deck of the aging carrier. When the other seven choppers in his squadron had left the deck, they fluttered off in a tight formation through blustery winds and dark, ominous rain clouds that hovered over the South China Sea. Operation "Frequent Wind," the emergency evacuation of the last Americans in Saigon was under way.

The rescue operation had been delayed as long as possible-too long, in the view of many Pentagon officials. In recent weeks 44 U.S. Navel vessels, 6,000 Marines, 120 Air Force combat and tanker planes and 150 Navy planes had been moved into the area. Nevertheless, Secretary of State, Henry Kissenger and the U.S. ambassador in Saigon, Graham Martin, argued that the final withdrawal of the American community would probably set off a wave of panic in Saigon and hasten the fall of the South Vietnamese government.

During the preceding eight days, U.S. planes had evacuated almost 40,000 American and South Vietnamese refugees from Tan Son Nhut airbase near Saigon. By last week, the airlift was growing increasingly dangerous. Artillery shells and rockets closed Tan Son Nhut airport Monday morning, April 28, 1975. The next day, an U.S. C-130 transport was hit by a rocket on the runway and burst into flames as the crew escaped. A short time later, two Marine Corporals, Cpl. N. McMahon of Massachusetts and LCpl. D. Judge of Iowa, guarding the US defense attaché’s compound at Tan Son Nhut, were killed by Communist artillery.

News of the destruction of the C-130 and the Marines’ deaths reached President Ford during a meeting with his energy and economic advisers. He scribbled a note to the deputy director of the National Security Council, LtGen. Brent Scowcroft: "We’d better have a NSC meeting at 7."



Plainly, evacuation by commercial flights, by military airplanes or by sea was no longer feasible. The security advisers discussed whether conditions might permit a resumption of the military airlift. If not, they would have to go a fourth option, the riskiest of all: evacuation by Marine helicopters. Scarcely two hours after the meeting ended with no decision, Ford learned that two C-130s attempting to land at Tan Son Nhut had been waved off; the airport was blocked by thousands of panicky South Vietnamese, by then all of Ford’s advisers, including Martin agreed that it had to be "Option Four." At 10:45 p.m., the President ordered Operation Frequent Wind to begin.

Kessinger telephoned Ford to report that a fleet of 81 helicopters was about to embark on its mission, then, at 1:08 a.m. Tuesday, he called again with the news that the evacuation had begun. In Saigon, the center of activity for much of the day was the landing at Tan Son Nhut airport, a tennis court near the defense attaché’s compound. Landing two at a time, the helicopters unloaded their squads of Marines- 860 in all, who reinforced the 125 Marines already on the scene- and quickly picked up evacuees.

As the operation continued, many helicopters came under fire. Most evacuees sat in cold panic as their choppers took off. "For the next three minutes as we gained altitude," reported TIME Correspondent William Stewart, "we held our breaths." We knew the Communists had been using heat-seeking missiles, and we were prepared to be shot out of the sky. As I turned around to see who was aboard, Buu Vien, the South Vietnamese Interior Minister, smiled and gave a thumbs-up signal. "Forty minutes later we were aboard the U.S.S. Denver, a landing-platform dock, and safe."



By nightfall, the mission had been completed at Tan Son Nhut, but the evacuation of the embassy was still to be accomplished. Sheets of rain were pelting the city, and visibility had dropped to barely a mile. Some choppers had to rely on flares fired by Marines within the embassy compound to find landing zones; others homed in on flashlights.

Through Tuesday night, the Vietnamese crowd grew uglier, hundreds tried to scale the ten-foot wall, despite the barbed wire strung on top of it. Marines had to use tear gas and rifle butts to hold back the surging mob. Some screamed, some pleaded to be taken along. Floor by floor, the Marines withdrew toward the roof of the embassy with looters right behind them. Abandoned offices were transformed into junkyards of smashed typewriters and ransacked file cabinets. Even the bronze plaque with the names of the five American servicemen who died in the embassy during the 1968 Tet offensive was torn from the lobby wall. Marines hurled tear-gas grenade into the elevator shaft; at time the air was so thick with tear gas that the helicopter crews on the roof were effected.


A HMH-463 crew stands before YH-12 on the deck of the USS Hancock sometime during operations Eagle Pull (the evacuation of Phnom Phen, Cambodia) and Frequent Wind (the evacuation of Saigon). Standing left to right are: Major J. R. Howell, pilot; Cpl R. L. Bartlett, crew/chief; and 1Lt C. L. Stonecypher, co-pilot. Sitting left to right are Cpl D. R. Levin, 1st mech. and Sgt R. D. Brookins, gunner. - photo courtesy of R D Brookins

By that time, tempers were frayed in Washington as well as in Saigon. Martin had drawn up a list of 500 Vietnamese to be evacuated; he refused to leave until all were safely gone. His delay prompted one Administration official to quip, "Martin got all 600 of his 500 Vietnamese out." Finally, at 5:00 p.m., Washington time- it was 5:00 a.m., in Saigon- Kessinger told the president that Martin was closing down the embassy and destroying its communications equipment. Minutes later, Lady Ace 09 landed on the embassy helo pad and Ambassador Martin boarded the helicopter as Major James Kean urged the CH-46 pilot Captain Berry, to please be sure someone comes for them. After lift off, Captain Berry broadcast the message; "Lade Ace Zero Nine, Tiger-Tiger-Tiger."

As many as 130 South Vietnamese planes and helicopter, including F-5 fighter-bombers, transports and attack planes, were reported meanwhile to have reached the US run Utapao airbase in Thailand with about 2,000 soldiers and civilians; already some 1,000 Cambodian refugees were crowed into tents there. Alarmed, the Thai government announced that the refugees had to leave within 30 days and that it would return the planes to "the next government in South Vietnam." Defense Secretary James Schlesinger firmly advised Bangkok that it should do no such thing; under aid agreements, the equipment cannot be transferred to a new government but must revert to U.S. possession.



By the end of the week, another seven or so South Vietnamese helicopters had landed or tried to land on the U.S. naval vessels. One South Vietnamese pilot set his chopper down on top of another whose blades were still turning. Others ditched their craft and had to be fished out of the water. An American search-and-rescue from the U.S.S. Hancock crashed at sea, and two of its crewmembers, Captain William C. Nystul and First Lieutenant Michael J. Shea were listed and missing, possible the last American fatalities of the war. The Crew Chief, Cpl. Steve Wills and the left gunner were rescued by another CH-46, Swift 0-7, during a zero visibility, night water landing to pick up the two wounded Marines.

"The last days of the evacuation were very hairy indeed," Ford confesses afterward. "We were never sure whether we were going to have trouble with the mobs." As Ford noted, the whole operation had gone better "than we had any right to expect." According to the Defense Department, 1,373 Americans and 5,680 South Vietnamese- many more that the US had originally intended- had been removed. Another 32,000 desperate Vietnamese had managed to make their way by sampan, raft and rowboat to the US ships offshore, bringing to about 70,000 the number evacuated through the week.



For the next three hours the Marines wait, and grow more concerned as they discover no one responds to their radio signals. Finally, after they have resigned that they will not be rescued, and have voted to make an Alamo-like stand, the Marines hear the familiar sound of rotor blades slapping the humid air, a CH-46 Sea Knight, and two AH-1G Cobra escorts come in to view.

Dodging small arms fire and using riot control agents against people attempting to force their way to the rooftop, Major Kean and his 10 Marines boarded a HMM-164 CH-46 helicopter, Swift 2-2. After closing the ramp, Swift 2-2 (piloted by Captains Holden and Cook, and crewed by Sergeant Stan Hughes, left machine gunner and Sergeant Chris Woods, Crew Chief and right gunner) lifted into a hover and the pilots were overcome by CS gas had to set back down on the embassy helo pad. Regaining their composure, Captain Holden lifted the helo and departed the embassy rooftop. The last American helicopter to leave South Vietnam, Caption Holden radioed the last official message from Saigon: Swift 2-2 airborne with 11 passengers, ground security force onboard. Clearing antennas and church steeples, Swift 2-2 picked up the Saigon River and descended to tree top level and followed the river out to the awaiting American Forces. During the flight along the river, Sergeant Woods sighted approximately eight communist tanks, parked side-by-side, waiting until the eighth hour to enter the city. Checking his watch, Major Kean noted that it was two minutes until eight, only 23 hours since the NCOIC of Marine Security Guard, Manila, had called him to relay a message from his wife in Hong Kong that she was pregnant. Only 32 minutes later on that unforgettable day, 30 April 1975, the 11 Marines exited Swift 2-2 onto the deck of the U.S.S. Okinawa.



Disembarking, many on board the Okinawa, the consensus was why so much time had elapsed between the arrival of the Ambassador’s flight and Swift -2-2, well over two hours. Had someone forgotten these Marines were still at the Embassy? The answer is no. The intention was to remove the Ambassador while some security still remained at the Embassy, and then have other helicopters pick up the remaining Marines, but it appears that when Captain Berry’s aircraft transmitted "Tiger is out," those helicopters still flying, including Captain Walters who was orbiting the Embassy at the time the Ambassador left, thought the mission was complete. This particular transmission had been the preplanned code to indicate when the Ambassador was on board a helicopter outbound to the task force. Having waited so long for his departure, this transmission caused some to conclude that he had departed as part of the last group to leave the Embassy. Captain Berry late explained that radio message " ‘Tiger-Tiger-Tiger’ was the call to be made when the Ambassador was on board and on his was out of Saigon. It had absolutely nothing to do with the cessation of the operation. We had originally planned to bring the Ambassador out on the afternoon of the 29th."



At this juncture, thinking the mission complete and the Ambassador safe, Captain Walters headed back to the USS Okinawa. Subsequent to his landing at approximately 0700, the command realized that Captain Walters did not have the remaining Marines on board. Due to a misunderstanding and miscommunication, they were still at the Embassy. General Carey immediately recycled the HMM-164 CH-46 "Swift 2-2", but by this time due to the ships’ offshore movement, the time required to reach the Embassy exceeded 40 minutes. With two hours of fuel on board, the CH-46 did not have any room for error. Swift 2-2 landed on the USS Okinawa with two "LOW FUEL" lights, or 20 minutes of fuel remaining.

To the Marines waiting in Saigon, attempts by the South Vietnamese to reach the rooftop kept them busy and as a consequence, they did not notice the extended gap between the flights. Major Kean later stated that he and his Marine did not become alarmed because they knew that another CH-46 would arrive. "We never had a doubt that our fellow Marines would return and pick us up. They had been doing it all night long."



This was a term paper in did in August 1996. I have made every attempt to state the facts to the best of my knowledge having dusted the cobwebs from my memory.

[SAMWolf]

The Last Casualties

Since arriving at the Defense Attaché Office on 16 April 1975, Marine security guards Lance Corporal Darwin Judge of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Corporal Charles McMahon Jr., Woburn, Mass., were primarily responsible for assisting evacuees during processing and manning security posts. A steady stream of American, Vietnamese and foreign national evacuees had passed through the DAO compound, but as the advancing North Vietnamese Army gradually tightened the noose around Saigon, the pressure was beginning to mount.

CPL Charles McMahon, Jr.

Sergeant Doug Potratz and his family were among the multitudes seeking safe passage to American soil. Throughout his last month in-country, Potratz displayed an unerring knack for making crucial decisions on particularly ominous occasions. He married his Vietnamese girlfriend on 4 April--the same day Da Nang fell to the communists. He then arrived at Tan Son Nhut air base with his wife and 4-year-old stepdaughter the same day South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned from office, 21 April.

Frustrated by red tape, endless hours of waiting and fruitless attempts at securing a flight out of the country, "I was ready to scream," Potratz recalled. "Judge came up to me and said, 'Sergeant Potratz, I know the guy who fills out the plane manifest. Give me your paperwork, and I'll get your family on the next flight out.' "

L/CPL Darwin L. Judge

Displaying typical Marine resourcefulness, Judge returned a few minutes later, picked up Potratz's stepdaughter and a suitcase, and escorted the family to the plane. "That was the last time I saw Darwin Judge alive," Potratz said. "He was my hero that day."

The days and hours leading up to 29 April were becoming increasingly tense and as one MSG described, "full of action, boredom and turmoil."

Responsible for posting the guard that night was Sgt Kevin Maloney, who, like McMahon, spoke with a thick Bostonian accent. The two Massachusetts natives were originally scheduled for the midnight watch at Post 1--a position at the DAO compound's outer gate--but buddies Judge and McMahon requested to be posted together. "I reasoned that no real action would occur until morning [and that] I should be where the action was," said Maloney.

At midnight, McMahon and Judge relieved LCpl Bill English, who, like a somnambulist, trudged to his rack and settled down for a well-deserved rest. Less than four hours later, the base came under attack by North Vietnamese rockets launched from nearby positions. Grabbing their weapons and gear, English and his fellow Marines scrambled to reach bunkers located outside the building. They soon discovered that Post 1 had taken a direct hit, and both McMahon and Judge had been killed.

Unknown to the MSGs at the time, Judge and McMahon had become the last U.S. servicemembers to die in combat on Vietnamese soil.

Because Judge and McMahon exemplified the Marine spirit--exhibiting compassion and professionalism during a bleak, extremely confusing period--they remain both admired and honored by the MSGs who served in Saigon. One man who can testify to this is Potratz, who still remembers the actions of a young lance corporal on his behalf, 25 years ago this month.

"If it weren't for the 'Darwin Judges' and the 'Charles McMahons,' " he reflected, "thousands of Americans and Vietnamese would not have made it out of the country and lived a fuller life."

[SAMWolf]

Operation Frequent Wind

Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Vietnam in April 1975, moved over 50,000 people. The initial decision to depart Saigon was made to evacuate the Defense Attaché's office by fixed-wing aircraft. This fixed-wing evacuation was determined impossible when hostile artillery and rocket fire closed the air base at Tan Son Nhut. The decision to evacuate the entire US presence by helicopter under Operation Frequent Wind was made late morning, 29 April 1975, Saigon time. Due to the delayed timing of the order, the capability for rapid response to such an order was imperative. The deteriorating situation at the Defense Attaché location required the Embassy to become a major site.



The evacuation of the Defense Attaché people proceeded smoothly. Total casualties were relatively light: two USMC Embassy Security Guards killed in an attack by ground fire, and two USMC CH-46 search and rescue helicopter aircrews presumed dead following a crash at sea. Total evacuation helicopter sorties from the US Defense Attaché compound numbered 122. The sorties from the US Embassy numbered 72. The evacuation of 7,806 US citizens and foreign nationals from these two places by the US Air Force and Marine Corps helicopters was supported by a major air effort by the Air Force and Navy. This effort consisted of: 444 USAF/USMC helicopter sorties; 204 TACAIR sorties; 24 AH-1J (Cobra) combat escort sorties; 8 AC-130 gunship sorties; 5 EC-130 (ABCCC) sorties; 44 KC-135 tanker sorties; and 2 HC-130 search and rescue support sorties.


After being evacuated from their homeland, a line of Vietnamese refugees disembark from an HMH-463 Sea Stallion helicopter and are led to their temporary living quarters. In the forground, armed guards are vigilant for possible enemy agents as the refugees pass by a pack of CH-46s from HMM-164

The 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, a task force of the III MEF successfully extracted by helicopter more than 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon, Vietnam, in Operation Frequent Wind. In conjunction with this operation, Marine detachments from III MEF provided security of U.S. ships engaged in carrying Vietnamese refugees to Guam.

Additional Sources:

www.mca-marines.org
www.globalsecurity.org
www.homeofheroes.com
news.bbc.co.uk
www.loc.gov
www.afa.org
www.hmh-463-vietnam.com

[SAMWolf]

'That [the fall of Saigon] was probably the hardest day of my presidency for me. ... I think we made a very heroic effort and did the best we could under the worst of circumstances. I look upon it as the sadness of a retreat that I'll never forget. '

-- Former President Gerald R. Ford,
Newsweek magazine, March 8, 1999

[SAMWolf]

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Support the Commander in Chief
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[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

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[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[GATOR NAVY]

SAM-before I hit the rack, regarding old style LSTs in S. America from yesterday: the only one I could find was one converted to a repair ship in Argentina.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Gator.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning E.G.C.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 30:
1309 Kazimierz III de Great King of Poland (1333-70)
1602 William Lilly England, astrologer/author/almanac compiler
1651 Jean-Baptiste de la Salle French priest/theorist/saint
1717 Guillaume Gommaire Kennis composer
1743 Robert Jasper van de Capellen master of Marsch/politician
1767 Jean Henri Appelius lawyer/minister of Finance
1770 David Thompson English/Canadian explorer (Columbia River)
1777 Carl Friedrich Gauss Brunswick Germany, one of the world's great mathematicians (number theory, non-Euclidean geometry, gravitation)
1790 John Cockerill English/Belgian industrialist
1792 Johann Friedrich Schwencke composer
1796 Isaäc M "Isaac A" Crémieux French lawyer/minister of Justice
1797 Andreas V Michiels Dutch military governor of West-Sumatra
1805 William Kerley Strong Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1867
1812 Kaspar Hauser German son of grand duke Karel van Bathe
1823 George JD Campbell Scottish/British Minister to Indies (1868-74/80-85)
1830 Davis Tillson Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
1837 Alfred Gaul composer
1846 Rosalie Amstein writer
1851 Indrið Einarsson Iceland playwright (Nyjársnóttin)
1853 Alfred von Berger writer
1858 Mary Scott Lord Dimmick Harrison 1st lady (1889-1893)
1864 Frans Netscher Dutch writer/journalist (Studies of nude model)
1870 Franz Lehar operetta composer (Naughty Marietta)
1874 Cyriel Verschaeve Belgian priest/writer
1882 Trijntje "Nine" van de Schaaf author (To the Invisible)
1883 David John de Lloyd composer
1884 Albert Israel Elkus composer
1885 Luigi Russolo composer
1886 Frank Merrik composer
1888 John Crowe Ransom American poet/critic (God Without Thunder)
1889 Acario Cotapos composer
1889 Rudolph Hermann Simonsen composer
1891 Watze Cuperus Frisian author (Swart mar leaflik)
1893 Joachim von Ribbentrop German SS führer/foreign minister
1896 Reverend Gary Davis Laurens SC, blues/folk guitarist (A Little More Faith)
1899 Jannetje Fisherman-Roosendaal author (regional novels)
1899 Lucie Mannheim Berlin, actress (East Meets West, 39 Steps)
19-- Thom Bray Camden NJ, actor (Cyril-Breaking Away)
1902 Andre-François Marescotti composer
1902 Rudolf Wittelsbach composer
1903 Günther Raphael German composer (Symphony Breve)
1905 Henrich Schläppi Switzerland, 4 man bobsled (Olympics-gold-1924)
1909 Queen Juliana of Netherlands (1948-80)
1910 Al Lewis actor (Leo-Car 54, Grandpa-Munsters)
1911 Hans Studer composer
1911 John-Baptist J Walgrave [Henricus/Humanus], Flemish, theologist
1911 Luise Rinser writer
1912 Eve Arden Mill Valley CA, actress (Connie-Our Miss Brooks)
1912 Manuel Gutierrez Mellado soldier/politician
1913 Bernard Charles Sendall deputy director general (ITA)
1913 Edith Fowke folklorist
1914 Sid Weiss bassist
1915 Johnny Galecki actor (Danny-American Dreamer)
1916 Robert Shaw Red Bluff CA, chorale conductor (Robert Shaw Chorale)
1916 Claude Shannon information theorist
1916 Dugo D Schenker Suriname/Antillian producer
1917 Bea Wain US singer/radio host (Lucky Strike Hit Parade)
1918 W Donald McNeill tennis champion (US Open-1940)
1919 Valeer [Valerius V] van Kerkhove Flemish writer/producer
1920 Duncan Hamilton driver
1920 Leen 't Hart Dutch organist/composer
1922 Anton Murray cricketer (South African batsman in 10 Tests 1951-55)
1923 Al Lewis actor (Grandpa-The Munsters)
1923 Alan Wharton cricketer (England batsman once vs New Zealand 1949, scored 7 & 13)
1923 George Byatt playwright
1924 Sheldon Harnick Chicago IL, Broadway lyricist (Fiorello, Fiddler on the Roof)
1925 Corinne Calvet Paris France, actress (Phantom of Hollywood)
1926 Cloris Leachman Des Moines IA, actress (Phyllis, Last Picture Show)
1926 Corinne Calvet France, actress (Apache Uprising)
1926 Cloris Leachman Des Moines IA, actress (Last Picture Show, Phyllis)
1926 Edmund Cooper UK, sci-fi author (Seed of Light, All Fool's Day)
1927 Lars Hall Sweden, Pentathlete (Olympics-gold-1952)
1927 Johnny Horton Los Angeles CA, rocker
1929 Peter Carsten Weissenberg Bavaria, actor (Mr Super Invisible)
1930 Raoul de Keyser [Dekeyser], Flemish painter
1931 William L [Bill] Clay (Representative-Democrat-MO, 1969- )
1932 Anton Larrauri composer
1933 Willie Nelson Abbott TX, country singer (On the Road Again)
1936 Zohra Lampert actress (Doctors' Hospital, Girl With Something Extra)
1938 Gary Collins Venice CA, actor (6th Sense, Home Show)
1938 Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard Queen of Netherlands (1980- )
1938 Larry [Van Cott] Niven US, sci-fi author (5 Hugo, Neutron Star, Flash Crowd)
1939 Ellen Taafe Zwilich Miami FL, (1st woman composer Pulitzer 1982)
1939 Pieter van Vollenhoven husband of Dutch Princess Margriet
1940 Burt Young New York NY, actor (Convoy, Rocky)
1941 Johnny Farina rocker (Santo & Johnny)
1941 Wilfried Jentzsh composer
1943 Bobby Vee Fargo ND, (Devil or Angel, Night has a Thousand Eyes)
1943 Robert L Livingston (Representative-Republican-LA, 1977- )
1944 Jill Clayburgh New York NY, actress (Unmarried Woman, Semi-Tough)
1944 Richard Shoff rocker (Sandpipers)
1945 Annie Dillard American writer (An American Childhood)
1945 Michael J Smith Beaufort NC, Commander USN, astronaut (51L-Challenger disaster)
1945 Claude van de Berge [Rony MF Pauwels], Flemish writer (Graph Theory)
1945 Mike Beacon rocker (Ox)
1945 Mimi Farina rocker (Reflections in a Crystal Wind)
1946 Carl XVI Gustav king of Sweden (1973- )
1946 Donald Schollander Charlotte NC, 100 meter/400 meter freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1964)
1946 Karl XVI Gustav F H King of Sweden (1973- )
1947 Robert Scott (Representative-Democrat-VA)
1948 Perry King Alliance OH, actor (Cody-Riptide, Andy Warhol's "Bad")
1948 Wayne Kramer jazz artist (Dangerous Madness)
1951 Panuta Rosani Poland, discus (Olympics 1976) drug disqualified
1952 Tom Pesek PC programmer (creator of HAL 9000 program)
1953 Merrill Osmond Ogden UT, singer (Osmond Brothers, Donnie & Marie)
1954 Günther Tiersch German Democratic Republic, 8 man cox (Olympics-gold-1968)
1955 Dimitra Papandreau Greece, wife of Greek PM Andreas Papandreau
1956 Richard Farina folk singer (Reflections in a Crystal Wind)
1957 Duane G Carey St Paul MN, Major USAF/astronaut
1959 Kamaran Abdalla Iraq/England/Netherlands actor (Goede Tijden Selechte Tijden)
1959 Lauren Howe LPGA golfer
1961 Isiah Thomas NBA forward (Detroit Pistons, 1990 NBA playoff MVP)
1963 Steve Smith Glasgow Sco, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks)
1964 Ian Healy cricket wicket-keeper (Australian since 1988)
1964 Jeff Reboulet Dayton OH, infielder (Minnesota Twins)
1965 Adrian Pasdar Pittsfield MA, actor (C Oliver Resor-Feds, Top Gun)
1965 Daniela Costian Australian discus/shot putter (Olympics-96)
1966 Aundray Bruce defensive end (Oakland Raiders)
1966 David Meggett NFL running back (New York Giants, New England Patriots)
1966 Jeff Brown Ottawa, NHL defenseman (Hartford Whalers)
1968 Babette Van Veen Netherlands, actress (Linda-GTST, Blueberry Hill)
1968 Paulo Jr Brazilian pop bassist (Sepultura, Morbid Visions)
1968 Richard Pilon Saskatoon, NHL defenseman (New York Islanders)
1968 Roger Mar Seattle WA, rapid fire pistol (Olympics-1996)
1968 Sandra Beikoff Mackay Queensland, golfer (1990 Sunshine Coast Open)
1969 Joey Restivo Brooklyn, rocker (Linear-I Never Felt This Way, Lies)
1969 Dexter Rogers St Petersburg FL, volleyball opposite hitter (Olympics-96)
1970 Brad Layton Seymour IN, rower (Olympics-1996)
1970 Debbie D Philadelphia PA, actress (Attack of Vampire Mermaid)
1971 B J Tyler NBA guard (Toronto Raptors)
1971 Matt Martin Hamden, NHL defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs, Olympics-US-94)
1971 Randy Bierman WLAF tackle (Scottish Claymores)
1971 Ryan Hawblitzel West Palm Beach FL, pitcher (Colorado Rockies)
1971 Ty Hallock fullback (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1972 Kendricke Bullard NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots)
1972 Mario Schaden hockey forward (Team Austria 1998)
1974 Cedric Jones defensive end (New York Giants)
1974 Chris Darkins NFL running back (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1975 Beverley Peele model [or Apr 7]
1975 Johnny Galecki Bree Belgium, actor (American Dreamer, David-Roseanne)
1982 Kirsten Dunst actress (Interview with the Vampire)
1988 Molloko San Diego Zoo, 1st California condor chick conceived in captivity

---

Deaths which occurred on April 30:
0313 Gaius G V Maximus [Daia] Emperor of Rome, dies
0535 Amalaswintha queen of Ostrogoten, murdered
1030 Mohammud van Ghazna Turkish mayor (G'widen)/Islamic ruler, dies
1196 Boudouin II bishop of Utrecht (1178-96), dies
1214 Huguccio/Hugo van Pisa Italian bishop, dies
1328 Meister Johann Eckhard German theologist/mystic, dies
1630 Ercole Porta composer, dies at 44
1632 Jean de Tilly fieldmarshal, dies
1632 Sigismund III King of Poland/Sweden, dies at 65
1660 Peter Scriverius Dutch lawyer/historian, dies at 84
1671 Péter Zrinyi Hungarian banished to Croatia, beheaded at 49
1708 Simon de Vries book seller/writer (Unequal), dies
1712 Philippus van Limborch remonstrants theologist/vicar, dies at 78
1743 Pedro de Peralta y Barnuevo Peruvian playwright/poet, dies
1784 Franz K earl von Velbruck German free mason, dies
1785 Frederick Philipse 3 land owner (Bronx, Westch & Putnam), dies at 65
1792 Hans Adolf Friedrich von Eschstruth composer, dies at 36
1792 John Montague 4th Earl of Sandwich English Naval minister, dies at 73
1793 Lorenzo Fago composer, dies at 88
1795 Jean-Jacques Barthélemy French historian (Ancient Greece), dies
1800 John H Midderigh Rotterdam patriot, dies at 46
1828 Shaka the great Zulu king, killed
1829 George Washington Adams son of John Q Adams, dies on City Island New York NY
1847 Charles archduke of Austria/Governor-General (Austria-Netherlands), dies
1848 Friedrich Freiherr Gagern German/Dutch army commandant, dies at 53
1855 Henry Rowley Bishop British composer/conductor, dies at 68
1859 Sergei T Aksakov Russian writer (Bagrova-vnuka), dies at 67
1887 Friedrich Wilhelm Markull composer, dies at 71
1893 Edouard Manet French painter (Olympia), dies at 61
1893 Gyula Beliczay composer, dies at 57
1895 Gustav Freytag writer, dies at 78
1896 Antonio Cagnoni composer, dies at 68
19-- Richard Farina rocker, dies on his birthday in a motorcycle accident
1900 John Luther [Casey] Jones dies in Cannonball Express train wreck
1903 François Crépin Belgian botany, dies at 72
1912 Frantisek Kmoch composer, dies
1919 Henry Wood England cricket wicket keeper (in 4 Tests 1888-92), dies
1922 David M Chumaceiro Curaçaos poet, dies
1929 Friedrich Lienhard German publisher (Türmer), dies at 63
1931 Sammy Woods cricketer (3 Tests for Australia, 3 for England), dies
1933 Luis Sanchez Cerro President of Peru, assassinated by Hurtado de Mendoza
1934 Dr William Henry Welch pathologist who played a major role in the introduction of modern medical practice and education dies at 75
1942 Catherine Murphy Urner composer, dies at 51
1942 J van Hoddis writer, dies at 54
1943 Beatrice Potter Webb British writer (My Apprenticeship), dies at 85
1943 Etty Hillesum Dutch diarist, dies in Auschwitz
1945 Adolf Hitler German dictator (1936-45), commits suicide at 56
1945 Eva Braun mistress/wife of Hitler, commits suicide at 33
1952 Charles Radoux-Rogier composer, dies
1956 Alben W Barkley (Vice President-Democrat-1949-53), dies at 78
1957 Ludwig Schiedermair German musicologist (Beethoven), dies at 80
1959 Armand Louis Joseph Marsick composer, dies at 81
1963 Bryant Washburn actor (Nabonga, Millionaire Kid), dies at 74
1965 Helen Chandler actress (Dracula, Salute, Last Flight), dies at 56
1966 Richard Farina rocker, dies on his birthday in a motorcycle accident
1968 Frankie Lymon rocker, dies of a heroin overdose
1970 Inger Stevens actress (Katy-Farmer's Daughter), commits suicide at 35
1970 Hall Johnson composer, dies at 82
1970 Jacob Presser historian/writer (Doom, Ondergang), dies at 71
1971 Elmo Roper pollster (Roper Poll), dies at 70
1972 Gia Scala actress (Garment Jungle, I Aim at the Stars), dies at 38
1972 Ntare V king of Burundi, murdered
1973 Josie Sedgwick actress (White Moth), dies of stroke at 75
1974 Agnes Moorehead actress (Endora-Bewitched), dies from cancer at 67
1976 Edvard Fliflet Braein composer, dies at 51
1977 Clive Martin Douglas composer, dies at 73
1980 Mary McCarty actress (French Line), dies
1982 Albert Bird lecture artist, dies
1982 Herman Tholen Dutch cabaret performer (Juveniles), dies
1982 Taisen Deshimaru founder of several Zen centers in France, dies at 67
1983 George Balanchine choreographer, dies at 78
1983 Jerry Hatsuo Fujikawa actor (Uncle Matsu-Mr T & Tina), dies at 71
1983 Muddy Waters US blues singer/guitarist (Mad Love), dies at 68
1984 Arthur T "Bomber" Harris bombed Nazi-Germany, dies
1984 Muddy Waters blues singer/guitarist (Hoochie Coochie Man), dies at 68
1985 George Pravada actor (Felscher-Holocaust), dies at 66
1987 Hugh Dempster actor (Anna Karenina, Candles at Nine), dies
1988 James McCracken US tenor, dies at 61
1989 Sergio Leone Italian director (Good, Bad & Ugly), dies at 60
1991 George Sperti Sperti inventor (Preparation H), dies at 91
1991 Michael G Hagerty actor (Overboard), dies at 39
1992 Daan van Driel Dutch cartoonist/WWII resist fighter (Trouw), dies
1993 David Waymer NFLer (Saints, 49'ers, Raiders), dies at 34
1993 Eric Rowan cricketer (26 Tests for South Africa), dies
1994 David Langton dies of a heart at 81
1994 Ferdinando Scarfiotti Italian set designer (Last Emperor), dies at 53
1994 Geoffery Michael Roberts vintner, dies at 46
1994 Richard McClure Scarry US kid book illustrator/writer, dies at 74
1994 Roland Ratzenberger Austrian race car driver, dies in crash at 31
1995 Donald Edwin White ad copywriter/opera administrator, dies at 59
1995 Reinaldo de Carvalho carnival king, dies at 34
1996 David Michael Ifshin British political campaign organiser, dies at 46
1996 David Opatoshu actor (Torn Curtian, Raid on Entebbe), dies at 78
1996 Frank Henry Copplestone TV executive, dies at 71
1996 Helene Cordet entertainer/nightclub owner, dies at 78
1996 Julio Cesar Mendez Montenegro President of Guatemala (1966-70), dies

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 ABBOTT JOSEPH S. ALLOWAY NJ.
02/18/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98

1967 ABBOTT ROBERT A. DECKERVILLE MI.
03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98

1967 BROTZ DANNY R. DETROIT MI.
05/67 REMAINS RECOVERED

1967 JOHNSON HAROLD E. BLAKESBURG IA.
03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98

1967 MC PHEE RANDY NEAL LONG BEACH CA.

1967 PRESCOTT MILTON E JR BLUE ISLAND IL.
REMAINS RETURNED UNKNOWN DATE REMOVED FROM LISTS AFTER 01/70

1967 THORSNESS LEO K. STORDEN MN.
03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98

1968 GUILLERMIN LOUIS F. WESTCHESTER PA.

1968 PIETSCH ROBERT E. CLEVELAND OH.

1968 STAEHLI BRUCE W. CROW POINT LAKE IN.

1972 SEAGRAVES MELVIN DOUGLAS LUBBOCK TX.

1974 MC COMBS PHILLIP A.
05/74 RELEASED

1974 SPRAGENS JOHN
05/74 RELEASED

1975 GAY ARLO N.
09/76 LEFT SAIGON


POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
0311 Emperor Galerius recognizes Christians legally in the Roman Empire
1006 Brightest supernova in recorded history is observed
1064 German King Henry IV gives away Utrecht county of West Friesland
1349 Jewish community at Radolszell Germany, exterminated
1396 Crusaders & earl of Nevers depart from Dijon
1492 Columbus is given royal commission to equip his fleet
1506 Philip of Bourgondy & England sign trade agreement
1527 England & France sign treaty of Westminster
1562 1st French colonists in US Jean Ribaut & Hugenots at Parris Island NC
1563 Jews are expelled from France by order of Charles VI
1598 1st theater performance in America (Spanish comedy-Rio Grande)
1616 English King Jacob I leaves Brielle/Vlissingen
1650 French rebel Henri de la Tour Turenne signs treaty with Spain
1661 Tsjeng Tsj'eng-Kung begins siege of Dutch fort Zeelandia, Formosa
1695 William Congreve's "Love for Love", premieres in London
1722 The game of Billiards is mentioned in the New England Courant
1725 Emperor Charles VI & King Philip IV of Spain sign Treaty of Vienna
1748 Ceasefire at Aken ends
1748 French troops occupy Maastricht
1763 London Journalist John Wilkes confined in the Tower
1772 John Clais patents 1st scale
1774 Pope Clement XIV proclaims a universal jubilee
1789 George Washington inaugurated as 1st President of US
1790 Colonial troops occupy Bonni's marroon village
1798 Department of the Navy is established
1803 US doubles in size through the Louisiana Purchase ($15 million)
1804 Hague's Theater opens
1808 1st practical typewriter finished by Italian Pellegrini Turri
1812 (Eastern) Louisiana admitted as 18th US state
1838 Nicaragua declares independence from Central American federation
1852 Anton Rubinsteins opera "Dmitri Donskoi", premieres in St Petersburg
1857 San Jose State University forms
1859 Paul Morphy returns from 10-month chess tour of Europe, retires
1860 Navaho Indians attack Fort Defiance (Canby)
1861 President Abraham Lincoln ordered Federal Troops to evacuate Indian Territory
1862 Swift Run Gap WV skirmishes
1864 New York becomes 1st state to charge a hunting license fee
1864 Battle of Jenkins' Ferry AR; General William Read Scurry is killed
1865 General Shermans "Haines's Bluff" at Snyder's Mill VA
1869 Hawaiian YMCA organized
1871 Apaches in Arizona surrender to white & Mexican adventurers; 144 die
1885 Boston Pops Orchestra forms
1887 1st game played at Broad & Huntingdon St Park (Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia; Phillies beat Giants 19-10
1888 Hailstones kill about 250 in Moradabad district of Delhi India
1889 1st US national holiday, on centennial of Washington's inauguration
1898 Championship wrestling match at the Metropolitan turns into a brawl
1900 165 lb Robert Fitzsimmons KOs 305 lb Ed Dunkhost in a boxing match
1900 USA annexes Hawaii
1902 Debussy's opera "Pelléas et Mélissande", premieres in Paris France
1903 New York Highlanders (Yankees) 1st home game, (Hilltop Park-168th St & Broadway, Manhattan), they beat Washington Senators, 6-2
1904 Ice cream cone makes its debut
1905 1st official soccer game between Belgium-Netherlands (1-4)
1910 Cleveland Indian Addie Joss wins 2nd no-hitter beating White Sox
1911 Portugal approves woman suffrage
1918 Orange Nassau soccer team forms in Groningen
1919 Philadelphia Phillies beat Brooklyn Dodgers 9-0 in 20 innings
1921 American Professional Football Association reorganizes in Akron
1921 Pope Benedict XV encyclical "On Dante"
1922 Chicago White Sox Charles Robertson perfect games Detroit Tigers, 2-0
1927 Princess Juliana gets seat in Dutch Council of State
1928 Cherkess Autonomous Region is established in RSFSR (until 1957)
1929 Earnest Streeruwitz becomes chancellor of Austria
1934 Austria gets "Austrian facist" constitution
1935 World Congress for Women's Rights concludes in Istanbul
1937 General Douglas MacArthur marries Jean Faircloth
1938 Bradman scores 258 Australia vs Worcestershire, 293 minutes, 33 fours 1 five
1939 NBC/RCA 1st public TV demo with FDR at opening of New York World's Fair
1939 Tropicana ballet of Havana Cuba, forms
1940 Brooklyn Dodger Tex Carleton no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 3-0
1941 Spread of Judaism begins in Croatia
1942 1st submarine built on Great Lakes launched, (Peto), Manitowoc WI
1943 Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp for Jews forms
1943 Dutch strike against forced labor in Nazi Germany's war industry
1943 Noël Coward's "This Happy Breed", premieres in London
1944 New York Giant, Mel Ott scores 6 runs in 1 game drawing 5 walks for 4th time
1944 New York Giant Phil Weintraub gets 11 RBIs
1945 "Arthur Godfrey Time" begins a 27 year run on CBS radio
1945 Concentration camp München-Allag freed
1945 Lord Haw-Haw calls for crusade against the bolsheviks
1945 Red Army occupies Demmin
1945 Red Army opens attack on German Reichstag building in Berlin
1945 Russian Army frees Ravensbrück concentration camp
1945 US troops attack the Elbe
1946 Cleveland Indian Bob Feller's 2nd no-hitter beats New York Yankees, 1-0
1947 Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover
1948 Organization of American States charter signed at Bogotá, Colombia
1948 "Inside USA" opens at Century Theater NYC for 339 performances
1948 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1950 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA 144-hole Golf Weathervane
1952 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Stockton Golf Open
1952 Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television
1953 Little-Bigger League changes its name to Babe Ruth League
1954 Darius Milhauds 4th Concert for piano/orchestra premieres in Haifa
1955 Element 101, Mendelevium, announced
1955 Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White" goes #1 for 10 weeks
1955 Imperial Bank of India nationalized
1955 West German unions protest for 40-hour work week & more wages
1958 Ted Williams is 10th major league player to get 1,000 extra-base hits
1961 1st shuttle flights between Washington DC, Boston MA & New York NY begin (Eastern)
1961 Lee Harvey Oswald marries Marina Prusakova in Minsk USSR
1961 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1961 Premier Fidel Castro of Cuba receives Lenin-Peace Prize
1961 San Francisco Giant Willie Mays hits 4 homeruns in a game
1962 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to an altitude of 75,190 meters
1967 Baltimore Orioles' Stu Miller & Steve Barber lose 2-1 despite no-hitting Detroit Tigers
1967 Highest tower in the world finished, 537 meters (USSR)
1967 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Shreveport Kiwanis Club Golf Invitational
1967 New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver wins his 1st game
1968 3 Baltimore Oriole pitchers walk 14 New York Yankees in a 9 inning game
1969 Cincinnati Red Jim Maloney 3rd no-hitter beats Houston Astros, 10-0
1969 WEDB TV channel 40 in Berlin NH (PBS) begins broadcasting
1970 US troops invade Cambodia
1970 Chicago Cubs Billy Williams is 1st National Leaguer to play in 1,000 consecutive games
1971 25th NBA Championship Milwaukee Bucks beat Baltimore Bullets in 4 games
1972 "Arthur Godfrey Time" ends a 27 year run on radio
1972 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Alamo Ladies Golf Open
1973 Nixon announces resignation of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, et al
1973 Paul McCartney releases "Red Rose Speedway" including "My Love"
1973 Women's tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments
1974 President Richard Nixon hands over partial transcripts of Watergate tape recordings
1975 Last US helicopter leaves US embassy groundsin Vietnam, Saigon surrenders
1976 Wings release "Silly Love Songs"
1976 Muhammad Ali beats Jimmy Young in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1976 Royal Canadian Mint opens a branch in Winnipeg Manitoba
1977 "Party with Comden & Green" closes at Morosco NYC after 92 performances
1977 Billy Graham beats Bruno Sammartino in Baltimore MD, to become WWF champion
1977 Ron Cey sets record of 29 RBIs in April
1978 "Elvis The Legend Lives!" closes at Palace NYC after 101 performances
1978 Janet Coles wins LPGA Natural Light Lady Tara Golf Classic
1979 Mary Therese Friel, (New York), crowned 28th Miss USA
1980 Queen Beatrix of Netherlands, Wilhelmina Armgard, ascends to the throne
1980 Terrorists seize Iranian Embassy in London
1980 "Barnum" opens at St James Theater NYC for 854 performances
1980 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, abdicates
1980 Ronald Harwood's "Dresser", premieres in London
1981 "Can-Can" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 5 performances
1981 16th Academy of Country Music Awards Barbara Mandrell & George Jones win
1982 Alvaro Magana chosen to succeed Jose N Duarte as President of El Salvador
1982 Atlanta Braves win record 12th straight from beginning of season
1982 Iranian offensive in Khusistan
1983 Bruins 3-Islanders 7-Wales Conference Championship-Islanders hold 2-1 lead
1984 Strong winds cause a 30 minute delay in Toronto Blue Jays game
1984 1700 skiers participate in an alpine event at Are Sweden
1985 Dale Murphy drives in record tying 28th & 29th runs of April
1985 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1985 Last edition of Brink Daily Mail/Sunday Express in South Africa
1986 Ashrita Furman peformed 8,341 somersaults over 12 miles
1986 Seattle Mariners strike out 16 times, set record of 36 in 2 consecutive games
1987 New York Islander Mike Bossy plays his final game
1987 Lou Lamoriello is named New Jersey Devils president
1988 New Jersey Devils beat Capitals 3-2 taking 7th game of Patrick Division final
1988 New York Knights 1st arena football game; beat Cobras 60-52 (10,157 in Los Angeles)
1988 New York Yankee Dave Winfield gets his 29th RBI of April-Sets American League & ties major league record
1988 World Exposition, Expo 88 opens in Brisbane Australia
1988 Baltimore Orioles win record 14th straight from beginning of season
1988 Largest banana split ever, at 4.55 miles long, is made in Selinsgrove PA
1989 Critics Siskel & Ebert film their 500th TV movie-review show
1989 US beats Costa Rica 1-0, in 3rd round of 1990 world soccer cup
1989 Kathy Postlewait wins LPGA Sara Lee Golf Classic
1989 Pope John Paul II beatifies Victoire Rasoamanarivo of Madagascar
1990 As New York Mets pitcher David Cone argues a call at 1st base, 2 Atlanta Braves score
1990 US 66th manned space mission STS 31 (Discovery 10) returns from space
1990 Seattle Mariner's Brian Holman's perfect game broken up with 2 outs in 9th
1990 US hostage Frank Reed freed after 4 years in hands of pro-Iranians
1991 In Bangladesh a cyclone kills over 131,000 & leaves 9 million homeless
1992 208th & final episode of "The Cosby Show" on NBC-TV
1994 Soccer great Pele (53) weds psychologist Assiria Seixas Lemos (36)
1995 "Blood Brothers" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 839 performances
1995 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 24 performances
1995 "Rose Tattoo" opens at Circle in the Square Theater NYC for 80 performances
1995 After 120 years the last 15 A & S department stores close
1995 Val Skinner wins LPGA Sprint Golf Championship
1996 "Buried Child", opens at Atkinson Theater NYC for 77 performances
1996 Dutch/Italian Beppo-SAX launches from Cape Canaveral
1996 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Grand Rapids MI on WKLQ 94.5 FM
1997 "London Assurance", opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 72 performances
1997 42 million watch "Ellen" admit she is gay
1997 Atlanta Braves win record 19 games in April
1997 Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes
1997 President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea chooses to attend Stanford College
1997 Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov wounded in assassination attempt
1997 Tino Martinez hits record 34 RBIs in April

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Louisiana : Admission Day (1813)
Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Surinam : Queen Juliana's Birthday
Switzerland : May Day Eve/Maitag Vorabend
Alabama, Florida, Mississippi : Confederate Memorial Day (1868) - - - - - ( Monday )
US-Utah : Arbor Day-Plant a tree (1872) - - - - - ( Friday )

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : St Pius V, pope
Wicca : Walpurgis Night or Bealtaine, sabbat
Roman Catholic, Lutheran : Commemoration of St Catherine of Siena, virgin/doctor
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Pius V, pope (1566-72) (optional)

---

Religious History
418 Roman Emperor Honorius (who ruled 395-423) issued a decree denouncing Pelagianism, which taught that humanity can take the initial and fundamental steps toward salvation by its own efforts, apart from divine grace.
1841 Birth of Orville J. Nave, the U.S. Armed Services chaplain who compiled the "Nave's Topical Bible" -- still in print!
1867 Death of Ithamar Conkey, 52, a popular 19th century English bass vocalist. He also composed the hymn-tune RATHBUN to which we sing today, "In the Cross of Christ I Glory."
1904 Birth of John T. Benson, Jr, religious composer and former president of Heartwarming Music in Nashville. His best-known sacred composition was the hymn, "Love Lifted Me."
1944 English scholar J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in a letter: 'Evil labors with vast powers and perpetual success -- in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in. So it is in general, and so it is in our own lives.'

---

Thought for the day :
"The smaller the mind the greater the conceit."

[manna]

Present!

[Valin]

4/29/75
1975 - Operation Frequent Wind begins: Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation on record, begins removing the last Americans from Saigon. The North Vietnamese had launched their final offensive in March 1975 and the South Vietnamese forces had fallen back before their rapid advance, losing Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, and Xuan Loc in quick succession.
With the North Vietnamese attacking the outskirts of Saigon, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin ordered the commencement of Frequent Wind. In 19 hours, 81 helicopters carried more than 1,000 Americans and almost 6,000 Vietnamese to aircraft carriers offshore. Cpl. Charles McMahon, Jr. and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge, USMC, were the last U.S. military personnel killed in action in Vietnam, when shrapnel from a North Vietnamese rocket struck them as they were guarding Tan Son Nhut Airbase during the evacuation.
At 7:53 a.m. on April 30, the last helicopter lifted off the rook of the embassy and headed out to sea. Later that morning, North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace. North Vietnamese Col. Bui Tin accepted the surrender from Gen. Duong Van Minh, who had taken over from Tran Van Huong (who only spent one day in power after President Nguyen Van Thieu fled). The Vietnam War was over.

4/30/75
South Vietnam surrenders:
By dawn, communist forces move into Saigon, where they meet only sporadic resistance. The South Vietnamese forces had collapsed under the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese.
The most recent fighting had begun in December 1974, when the North Vietnamese had launched a major attack against the lightly defended province of Phuoc Long, located due north of Saigon along the Cambodian border, overrunning the provincial capital at Phuoc Binh on January 6, 1975. Despite previous presidential promises to provide aid in such a scenario, the United States did nothing.
By this time, Nixon had resigned from office and his successor, Gerald Ford, was unable to convince a hostile Congress to make good on Nixon's earlier promises to rescue Saigon from communist takeover. This situation emboldened the North Vietnamese, who launched a new campaign in March 1975. The South Vietnamese forces fell back in total disarray, and once again, the United States did nothing. The South Vietnamese abandoned Pleiku and Kontum in the Highlands with very little fighting. Then Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang fell to the communist onslaught.
The North Vietnamese continued to attack south along the coast toward Saigon, defeating the South Vietnamese forces at each encounter. The South Vietnamese 18th Division had fought a valiant battle at Xuan Loc, just to the east of Saigon, destroying three North Vietnamese divisions in the process. However, it proved to be the last battle in the defense of the Republic of South Vietnam.
The South Vietnamese forces held out against the attackers until they ran out of tactical air support and weapons, finally abandoning Xuan Loc to the communists on April 21. Having crushed the last major organized opposition before Saigon, the North Vietnamese got into position for the final assault.
In Saigon, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned and transferred authority to Vice President Tran Van Huong before fleeing the city on April 25. By April 27, the North Vietnamese had completely encircled Saigon and began to maneuver for a complete takeover.
When they attacked at dawn on April 30, they met little resistance. North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace and the war came to an end. North Vietnamese Col. Bui Tin accepted the surrender from Gen. Duong Van Minh, who had taken over after Tran Van Huong spent only one day in power.
Tin explained to Minh, "You have nothing to fear. Between Vietnamese there are no victors and no vanquished. Only the Americans have been beaten. If you are patriots, consider this a moment of joy.
The war for our country is over."

[EternalVigilance]

Thanks, SAM.

One of the saddest episodes in our history, I'm afraid--yet individual heroes shine forever through that sadness.

[SAMWolf]

1988 Largest banana split ever, at 4.55 miles long, is made in Selinsgrove PA

Even I would have a hard time eating that one!

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Manna

[SAMWolf]

You're welcome EV. The politicians let this war divide the Nation. They let it drag on and on and just wouldn't make the decisions to fight the war to win it.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning SAM, everyone.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
Final Respects

Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez


U.S. Marines carry the casket of Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hialeah, Fla., during funeral services Tuesday, April 29, 2003, in Hialeah. Gonzalez was killed when a refueling truck collapsed on him in Iraq earlier this month. (AP Photo/Lee Suarez, Ho)


An unidenified U.S. Marine, left, plays 'Taps' as mourners listen and pray during the funeral of U.S. Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hialeah, Fla., Tuesday, April 29, 2003 in Hialeah


Unidenified U.S. Marines mourn one of their own during the funeral of U.S. Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hialeah, Fla., Tuesday, April 29, 2003, in Hialeah, Fla.


Liudmila Gonzalez, 25, widow of Marine Cpl. Armando Ariel Gonzalez, 25, of Hialeah, is hugged by her late husband's best friend, Vladimir Diaz, left, Tuesday, April 29, 2003, in Hialeah, Fla., during the funeral of her late husband.