At the end of the Vietnam War, South Vietnamese soldiers flocked to sweep a Pan-American passenger plane to save themselves from the rapidly invading North Vietnamese army. CBS news correspondent Bruce Dunning said on the boat: "They left their wives, children, parents of age on the runway, and they forced themselves on the boat, a group of young enlisted people.

With the final attack of the communist forces in the north, this self-defeat of each person took place in South Vietnam.

"The problem is not, 'they will attack at some point, but 'when do they do'?" said Stuart Herrington, 83, who is one of the few U.S. military personnel still staying in Vietnam. “The map in my office started to show more and more red arrows, all pointing to the south.”

President Gerald R. Ford called the collapse of South Vietnam "a huge human tragedy" and ordered the immediate airlift of Vietnamese orphans - some babies born only a few weeks ago.

CBS news correspondent Murray witnessed what happened next when a plane carrying a child crashed into a field about five miles from the end of the runway, killing 78 orphans and 35 Americans. "What else can you say except 'beyond' when will you stop the pain?'"

As Vietnam quickly approached what Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called the "worst case", he drew the influence of U.S. ambassador Graham Martin: "We must evacuate our people and do it as soon as possible."

Americans and Vietnam flooded their tan son Nhut Airport outside Saigon. But enemy shelling killed two Marines there - Judge Darwin and Charles Macmahon were the last American to die in Vietnam.

Retired Ocean Gerry Berry is a helicopter pilot on the fleet of American ships. "North Vietnam, North Vietnam bombed the runway of Dan's son Nhut, so the runway became unusable," he said. "Helicopters were the last resort. At 10:45 am on April 29, 1975, Ambassador Graham Martin issued an order and began to act frequently, which became the largest helicopter evacuation in history."

Frantically finding a way out, civilians besieged the US Embassy. "The last place, the last hope, the last refuge, maybe still the helicopter," Herrington said.

Jerome Thomas is a Marine Guard at the Embassy: "There is a woman at the gate saying, 'Please send my children, take my children." We had to tell them, "We can't take your children." Some people were crushed because of the crowd behind. ”

"The crowds inside the embassy grounds are just huge and never get smaller. You don't know how this thing works, how it will end," Berry said.

Berry landed the helicopter in the embassy's parking lot: "I actually landed at the embassy, ​​about a clock, and said: 'My order is to take over the ambassador.' The marine security officer ran into the embassy and came back and said: 'Well, the ambassador is not ready yet. ”

Instead, Berry and 70 other helicopter crew members began to promote Americans and Vietnamese.

As the darkness faded, the 19-year-old Marine Corps Thomas was ordered to lower the American flag: "This is the last time the American flag flew over Vietnam," he said. “Heartbreaking.”

The U.S. war in Vietnam has now entered its final hours.

Berry said that at about four o'clock, he could see North Vietnamese tanks driving down the road because their lights were on the lights. They drive on the highway. ”

"Everyone is afraid. The North Vietnamese army is advancing in Saigon," Herrington said.

As the last helicopter went out, the airborne commander called the crew to "maximize it."

Herrington told the crowd in the Embassy parking lot: "'Go into the double line. Everyone will go. No one will be left behind." I repeated over and over and over and everybody will go, I really believe. ”

When new orders were in and out, there were still 420 Vietnamese in the parking lot: “We have to come out now.”

Herrington had promised “no one stayed” but the order was an order. "I said to the Vietnamese, 'I have to leak', and I walked into the embassy door and stepped on the stairs," he said.

I asked, "Tell the lie, how do you feel?"

"I feel horrible," Herrington replied. "I feel like I've given them my words, our country has given them our country's words, and it's all nonsense."

Berry recalled: "I landed on the roof of the embassy at 4:56 am on April 30, 1975. I called the marine security officer and I said: "You go and tell the ambassador that the helicopter did not leave the roof until he got on the boat." ” Then in my best pilot voice, “The President sent. ”

"From the president's order? Do you have the right?" I asked.

"I don't have the authority to do this at all," Berry replied. "But I mean, it's going to end here. Two minutes later, his entire entourage was ready to go."

Ambassador Martin brought the American flag. Flying out, Berry broadcasts a call sign: "Tiger, Tiger, Tiger", which means the ambassador is outside, so everyone knows it. ”

Henry Kissinger made the announcement in Washington: "Our ambassador has left and the evacuation can be said to be completed."

Except that is not. In 1996, Kissinger recalled a live speech with the Army War Academy, recalling: “I came back from a press conference and I found that they left the Marines behind the guardian embassy.”

When Saigon was about to fall, the last American fighter in Vietnam was locked on the roof.

Their Sergeant Juan Valdez is now 87 years old and lives in the memory care department - but there are some things you won't forget. “It’s been years,” he said. “We’re sure we’ll stay there.

"It feels like Alamo. We don't know if we're going to be the last one and be overspent," said Doug Potratz, who is on the roof with Valdez.

"The question that comes to mind for everyone is, should we fight or should we surrender? And everyone there, to a person, like we are fighting, you know, because the Marines never surrender."

"I think it's the lowest point in my life. We're thinking about all the dead, actually thousands of Americans, and it's all gone," Porthatz said.

"We were there for two and a half hours, maybe three hours, and then suddenly, we saw two kitchen knives back," Valdez said.

Two helicopters returned to the Marines. The first one got 22, and the second one was the final 11. "Eleven PAX including the commander. All Americans went out. That's it," said the airborne commander's radio communication.

A blurry photo captures the moment.

"I'm the last one to go up," Valdez said. "Because I'm in charge of them, whether I'm staying behind or not, so, you know, but you always take care of your man first."

He was the last man.

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A story produced by Mary Walsh. Editor: Joseph Frandino.

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