At about 11:00 am, Saigon time, on March 29, 1973, the last ‘direct combat’ troops left Vietnam ending the United States involvement in the Vietnam Conflict. I happened to be one of those last guys out.
It had been a harrowing ten days. I was initially scheduled to leave around March 20th, but there were diplomatic delays involving the implementation of the Peace Accords. Each side blamed the other for the delay. As a result, we didn’t know if the agreements would hold or not and those few of us who were left in country had a very uneasy feeling about all of it.
We had been moved from our Batchelor Officer Quarters to the US Reception Center at Camp Alpha on Tân Sơn Nhựt Air Force Base. Our equipment, including our weapons, had been turned-in and we realized that we were basically defenseless if something happened, and the agreements fell apart. When we looked outside the compound, we could see multiple buildings that were under the NVA or VC flags, as they had moved into the base as observers and enforcers of the accords.
Through those ten days we had seen our hopes dashed as we were arbitrarily delayed in leaving because of disagreements on things like definitions of combat troops and alleged movements of NVA and VC troops that were unauthorized.
We felt like pawns in the process!
The boredom was horrible. We basically had to sit it out in the compound and wait. Occasionally a flight would be allowed to leave and about 200 men would depart for the states. They were the lucky ones. We played a lot of cards. Pinocle and cribbage games were constantly ongoing, and poker was a constant. There was a small above ground swimming pool that we took advantage of during the day. Mostly we just sat around and bitched!
As the month wore on we worried about the finality of these Accords. Were we really going home or were we just pawns in some international game that we might lose? Was this for real or were we just going to come back to Vietnam and rehash what we’d already been through. I was already on my third tour, and I hadn’t seen much change since the fall of 1969 when I arrived for the first time. But we all had that glimmer of hope that maybe this was finally over and that the Vietnamese could finally get their act together and stop the fighting and bloodletting.
We all knew that according to the “Stars and Stripes” we all had to be out of Vietnam by March 29th and as that date approached there was a lot of betting on whether or not we’d make that flight home on time.
Finally, for about the third time, on the evening of March 28th we got notice that we were to report to the administrative area at 0530 on the following morning for out processing. We were told to have all of our personal belonging packed and ready for customs inspection at 0700 after breakfast which was going to be served early. WE WERE GOING HOME!
I can honestly tell you that I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. We were all excited. The next morning, we had one of the worse breakfasts that I think I had ever had in the Army. The coffee was watered down, the food was terrible and in short supply. But I figured, like most, WHO CARED! We were going home, and we’d get a good meal when we arrived.
Of course then came the next series of ‘waits’. The custom inspectors arrived late, and the money exchange team was delayed. Our duffle bags were checked by customs inspectors to ensure that we weren’t trying to smuggle contraband especially drugs back home, A few of the guys had items confiscated. One guy in line tried to smuggle booze in an army canteen and there were other guys who were pulled out of line for ‘further searches.
The final stop was the conversion of Government Scrip money and Vietnamese Piaster (their local currency) into US Dollars. To fight inflation in the Vietnamese economy during the war we were issued scrip rather than US greenback dollars. A lot of us had also exchanged some of our scrip for Vietnamese piasters so that we could deal on the local economy.
Scrip dollars were exchanged at value. $20.00 in scrip for $20 US dollars. Piasters were exchanged at (IIRC) 117p to one US dollar.
Once we were done with customs and money exchange, we were isolated until our flight was ready to depart. Now came the long wait. About 8:30 (0830hrs) we heard a plane taxi up to the gate and we really got excited. But again, we waited, waited, waited and waited. Finally, we got the order to line up for final processing. The doors opened and we began filing out of the building and onto the tarmac to our awaiting ‘Freedom Bird’, a commercial airliner.
As we walked towards the plane we passed a group of officers with clip boards. From their uniforms we could tell that they were members of the UN group there to supervise the implementation of the Accords. There were Poles, Hungarians, Canadians, US officials, North Vietnamese Officers and Việt Cộng officials there to observe our departure and count noses!
We boarded the plane and once everyone was finally seated a young lieutenant from Camp Alpha walked down the aisle and confirmed his manifest. When he finished his task and left the plane the doors closed.
The pilot (or perhaps co-pilot) came on the intercom and gave us the flight number, told us about our route and introduced the flight crew. Of course, every time that one of the stewardesses was introduced ribald comments, cat calls and loud applause followed.
Finally, with the seat belt sign on and the no smoking light lit we could feel the plane beginning to roll towards the runway. The plane suddenly stopped, and I think everyone of the plane felt a pang of fear. That lasted only a minute or so as the plane was given its final clearance to enter the runway and depart Vietnam.
As we picked up speed you could feel the elation rising in the cabin. It was official we were going home! As we heard the pilot retract the landing gear and we saw that we were finally in the air the entire cabin erupted in one long and loud cheer! WE WERE GOING HOME!
As I sat there in my seat watching the coast of Vietnam disappear I reflected on this period of my life. I had been a commissioned office now for less than 48 months. Of that I had spent nearly half of that time in Vietnam as a soldier. I was leaving Vietnam for the last time and heading back to the United States. I had assignment orders to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and I’d be getting married once I got home and we could make our final wedding arrangements. I had no idea of what to expect. But, my life outside of Vietnam was ahead of me and I was leaving Vietnam behind me and looking forward to whatever was ahead of me.
To all of my brothers and sisters of that conflict I thank you, we made if home safely. Our mission was to ensure that our potential sons and daughters wouldn’t ever face the wrath of an unfriendly nation if and when they came home from their war. We did our duty to our country, and we can all be proud of that all of these years later. Never forget that we went over there as strangers and returned as Brothers and Sisters!
Welcome Home!
MACV 1969-1971; 525th MI Group 1972-1973
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