The Vietnam War - The War That Changed America

On the final day of the Vietnam War, when Saigon had at last fallen, a family that missed the last transport plane climbed aboard a small aircraft and took off. They had no destination, and no means of communication. The only option was to fly until the fuel ran out. Or perhaps the thought that they might, by chance, find somewhere to land. In any case, being a South Vietnamese Air Force pilot was the perfect ticket to a firing squad, so there was no real choice. Just as the fuel was about to run out, an American aircraft carrier spotted them. The carrier was packed with the helicopters that had been used to evacuate South Vietnamese refugees. No matter how small the aircraft was, there was simply no room to land. The decision from up the chain of command was the obvious one: ‘Guide the small aircraft full of refugees to ditch into the sea.’ But the carrier’s captain made a decision. In effect, he had decided to sign his own death warrant. The Americans immediately began pushing one helicopter after another into the sea. It was all so urgent that the soldiers had to shove the helicopters off by hand. The military brass raged at them to stop this madness at once, but they could not. At last, with picture-perfect skill, the aircraft landed, and the captain bestowed upon the man – both pilot and father – the honorary title of U.S. Navy pilot. Among those who survived this way was a five-year-old child.

Fifty years later, in 2025, they are still alive. Fortunately, far from facing a firing squad, the captain was even awarded a medal.

Behind this moving story of self-sacrifice lurks a horrifying number. The death toll of the Vietnam War is estimated at three million. How could people so honorable and so devoted produce such a terrible outcome? One can only shudder at the dehumanization of war.

For reference, the death toll of the Korean War is also estimated at three million.

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