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Terms and References

(These are in order how they appear in the script.  Use "control f" to search for a term on the page.)

Fort Chaffee, Arkansas (11) – Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center is an Army National Guard installation in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith. Established as Camp Chaffee in 1941, renamed to Fort Chaffee in 1956, Fort Chaffee has served as a United States Army base, training camp, prisoner-of-war camp, and refugee camp. The base was closed following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission round. (Source) Read more about Fort Chaffee as a refugee camp: 

40 Years Ago, Arkansas Military Base Became Refugee Camp

'Chasing Memories' In Their Refugee Camp 40 Years After Fleeing Vietnam

 

Camp Pendleton, California (11) – Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps. It is located on the Southern California coast, in San Diego County, and bordered by Oceanside to the south. The base was established in 1942 to train U.S. Marines for service in World War II. By October 1944, Camp Pendleton was declared a "permanent installation" and by 1946, it became the home of the 1st Marine Division. When Camp Pendleton trained the country's fighting force for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, approximately 200,000 Marines passed through the base on their way to the Far East. In 1975 Camp Pendleton was the first military base in the U.S. to provide accommodations for Vietnamese evacuees in Operation New Arrivals; over 50,000 refugees came to the base in the largest humanitarian airlift in history. (Source) Read more about Camp Pendleton as a refugee camp: 

Vietnamese refugees began new lives in Camp Pendleton’s 1975 ‘tent city’

Remember When Camp Pendleton Was a Refugee Camp? These Vietnamese Sisters Do

In Her Own Words: Life at Refugee Camp Talega

 

VC (11) – Viet Cong (July 21, 1954 – July 2, 1976) Also known as the National Liberation Front, was a mass political organization in South Vietnam and Cambodia with its own army – the People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam (PLAF) – that fought against the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War, eventually emerging on the winning side. It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized peasants in the territory it controlled. Many soldiers were recruited in South Vietnam, but others were attached to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), the regular North Vietnamese army. During the war, communists and anti-war activists insisted the Việt Cộng was an insurgency indigenous to the South, while the U.S. and South Vietnamese governments portrayed the group as a tool of Hanoi. (Source

Guam (12) – an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. 

Refugee camp (13) – Read (here) about the lives of Vietnamese refugees in camps in America after the war.  (See Fort Chaffee, Camp Pendleton, Eglin Air Force Base, Camp Indiantown; See "Vietnamese Refugees" in "Vietnam")

 

Japanese motorbike (15) – Motorbikes were common in Vietnam during the 1960s. The most popular bikes were ex-Soviet MINSK motorcycles, also known as M1A or M1NSK and Japanese Hondas such as the SS50, also known as the Honda 67.

“We should get hookers.”/”The Americans get hookers all the time!” (17) – During the Vietnam War, a whole sex industry sprung up around American servicemen. It has been estimated that there were 300,000 prostitutes in the country during this period.[9] Prostitutes would congregate at bars where service members would frequent, and offer their services. Sometimes, the prostitutes and women who had intercourse would get pregnant. The resulting children, of whom there were estimated to be about 50,000, were ostracized and given the derisive name bui doi ("dirt of life"). Often, these children were themselves forced into prostitution. (Source)  

 

Nha Trang (18) – A coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. When Cam Ranh Bay used to be an important naval base, Nha Trang Airport was the main airport of the city. This airport was used by the United States Air Force and Republic of Vietnam Air Force during the Vietnam War. (See map in “Vietnam”) (Source)

 

Bao Loc (18) – A city of Lâm Đồng Province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. (See map in “Vietnam”) (Source)

Huey (20) – (Bell UH-1 Iroquois) a utility military helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine, with two-blade main and tail rotors. First flew in 1956. The Iroquois was originally designated HU-1, hence the Huey nickname, which has remained in common use. The UH-1 first saw service in combat operations during the Vietnam War, with around 7,000 helicopters deployed. The Huey has an iconic sound that is often used in movies about the war. Listen here. 

 

“a teething giraffe” (20) – Teething toy for babies.

“The Americans got us packing all kinds of crazy heat.” (21) – Read about the weapons the US supplied here

 

“Operation Frequent Wind. America’s pulling out. Saigon’s falling.” (21) – April 29-30, 1975; The final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam prior to the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese Army (PAVN) in the Fall of Saigon, during the last days of the Vietnam War. More than 7,000 people were evacuated by helicopter from various points in Saigon.

Evacuation plans already existed as a standard procedure for American embassies. At the beginning of March, fixed-wing aircraft began evacuating civilians from Tan Son Nhat Airport through neighboring countries. By mid-April, contingency plans were in place and preparations were underway for a possible helicopter evacuation. As the imminent collapse of Saigon became evident, Task Force 76 (TF76) was assembled off the coast near Vung Tau to support a helicopter evacuation and provide air support if required. In the event, air support was not needed as the North Vietnamese paused for a week at the outskirts of Saigon, possibly waiting for the South Vietnamese government to collapse and avoiding a possible confrontation with the U.S. by allowing the mostly-unopposed evacuation of Americans from Saigon.

On 28 April, Tan Son Nhut Air Base (lying adjacent to the airport) came under artillery fire and attack from Vietnamese People's Air Force aircraft. The fixed-wing evacuation was terminated and Operation Frequent Wind commenced. The evacuation took place primarily from the Defense Attaché Office (DAO) compound, beginning around 14:00 on the afternoon of 29 April, and ending that night with only limited small arms damage to the helicopters. The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was intended to only be a secondary evacuation point for embassy staff, but it was soon overwhelmed with evacuees and desperate South Vietnamese. The evacuation of the embassy was completed at 07:53 on 30 April, but some Americans chose to stay or were left behind and some 400 third country nationals were left at the embassy. (Source)  (See “Video Resources” in “Resources”)

 

USS Midway (22) – An aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. Commissioned a week after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. On 29 April 1975, Republic of Vietnam Air Force Major Buang-Ly loaded his wife and five children into a two-seat Cessna O-1 Bird Dog and took off from Con Son Island. After evading enemy ground fire, Buang headed out to the South China Sea, found Midway, and began to circle overhead with his landing lights turned on. Midway's crew unsuccessfully attempted to contact the aircraft on emergency frequencies. When a spotter reported that there were at least four people in the two-seater aircraft, all thoughts of forcing the pilot to ditch alongside were abandoned – it was unlikely the passengers of the overloaded Bird Dog could survive the ditching and safely get out before the plane sank. After three tries, Major Buang managed to drop a note from a low pass over the deck: "Can you move the helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly for one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me! Major Buang, wife and 5 child." Captain Larry Chambers, the ship's commanding officer, ordered that the arresting wires be removed and that any helicopters that could not be safely and quickly moved should be pushed over the side. An estimated $10 million worth of UH-1 Huey helicopters were pushed overboard. To make matters worse, five more UH-1s landed and cluttered up the deck. Buang was escorted to the bridge where Chambers congratulated him on his outstanding airmanship and his bravery in risking everything on a gamble beyond the point of no return without knowing for certain a carrier would be where he needed it. Major Buang became the first Vietnamese pilot ever to land on an aircraft carrier deck. Upon completion of ferrying people to other ships, Midway returned to Thailand and disembarked the Air Force helicopters. The CH-53s then airlifted over 50 Republic of Vietnam Air Force aircraft to the ship. With almost 100 helicopters and aircraft of the former Republic of Vietnam Air Force aboard, the ship steamed to Guam where the aircraft and helicopters were offloaded in twenty-four hours. (Source

Vung Tau (22) – The largest city and former capital of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province in Vietnam. (See map in “Vietnam”)

 

Soc Trang (22) – A city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Sóc Trăng Province. (See map in “Vietnam”)

 

“225th Helicopter Squadron of the Republic of Vietnam’s Air Force” (23) – The South Vietnam Air Force officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (sometimes Vietnam Air Force – VNAF) was the aerial branch of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the official military of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975.

 

“Eglin Air Force Base in the middle of Florida” (24) – a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County. The USAF Special Air Warfare Center was activated 27 April 1962. The Special Air Warfare Center, located at Hurlburt Field, undertook to develop tactical air doctrine while training crews for special air warfare in places like Southeast Asia. By mid-1963, SAW groups were in Vietnam and Panama. With the increasing U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s, the need for increased emphasis on conventional weapons development made Eglin's mission even more important. On 1 August 1968, the Air Proving Ground Center was redesignated the Armament Development and Test Center to centralize responsibility for research, development, test and evaluation, and initial acquisition of non-nuclear munitions for the Air Force. Selected on 27 April 1975, the installation served as one of four main U.S. Vietnamese Refugee Processing Centers operated by the Interagency Task Force for Indochina Refugees, where base personnel housed and processed more than 10,000 Southeast Asian refugees. (Source

 

“Camp Indiantown in Pennsylvania” (24) – Fort Indiantown Gap, also referred to as "The Gap" or "FTIG", is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, during the Vietnam War, Fort Indiantown Gap served as one of the largest Reserve Officers Training Corps summer camps for the U.S. Army. In 1975, the Gap served as a refugee camp for southeast Asian refugees. For eight months, more than 32,000 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees were resettled through the installation. (Source) Read more here.

 

“’We pushed it off the carrier to make room for incoming planes.’” (33) – See “Operation Frequent Wind” and “USS Midway” above.

 

“Lackland Air Force Base” (38) – A United States Air Force base located in Bexar County, Texas. It shared Basic Military Training status temporarily with Amarillo Air Force Base during the Vietnam War until Amarillo AFB's closure in 1968. The Vietnam War buildup necessitated a "split-phase" training from August 1965 to April 1966. In February 1966, an airman died of spinal meningitis and while ten other cases were confirmed, no other deaths were reported. Virtually all non-essential activities requiring gatherings of basic trainees were canceled. To control the issue further, a cadre of personnel was assigned to activate the 3330th Basic Military Training School at Amarillo Air Force Base in Amarillo, Texas, in February 1966. As a result of the continuing expansion of the USAF, Amarillo AFB continued to conduct basic training until December 1968. (Source

 

“Foster family” (40/41) – (Research from Jamie Berry, Literary Intern) The Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, passed on May 23, 1975, under President Gerald Ford, was a response to the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Under this act, approximately 130,000 refugees from South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were allowed to enter the United States under a special status, and the act allotted for special relocation aid and financial assistance. (Source) See video here. (See "Vietnamese Refugees" in "Vietnam")

 

Mo Duc (47) – A district of Quảng Ngãi Province in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. US veteran story from Mo Duc. (See map in "Vietnam.") 

 

TH-55 (47) – The Hughes TH-55 Osage was a piston-powered light training helicopter produced for the United States Army.

 

“I just wanted to let you know, it was an equally unpopular war here./I protested.” (58) – See “Anti-War Movement” in “Vietnam War

 

“Do you not see what’s happening at the embassy? People are swarming it.” (76) – 

The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong on 30 April 1975. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War. The capture of the city was preceded by Operation Frequent Wind (see above), the evacuation of almost all the American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians who had been associated with the southern regime. The evacuation was the largest helicopter evacuation in history. In addition to the flight of refugees, the end of the war and the institution of new rules by the communists contributed to a decline in the city's population. Read more:

Enemy at the gate: The history-making, chaotic evacuation of Saigon

Fall of Saigon 40th anniversary

April 30, 1975: Saigon Has Fallen

(See the Last Days in Vietnam in "Resources")

 

South Vietnamese military (76) – The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) also known as the South Vietnamese army (SVA), were the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. It is estimated to have suffered 1,394,000 casualties (killed and wounded) during the Vietnam War. After the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese army (NVA), the ARVN was dissolved. While some high-ranking officers had fled the country to the United States or elsewhere, thousands of former ARVN officers were sent to so-called reeducation camps by the communist government of the new, unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

 

Camelot, Guinevere, Lancelot (81) – from Chretien de Troyes’ Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, written in the 12th century.

 

Republic of Vietnam’s Air Force (84) – See “’225th Helicopter Squadron of the Republic of Vietnam’s Air Force’” above

 

“—the other option is they put you in one of their camps! And we’re not talking about some cushy two-year re-education cake walk, we’re talking the rest of your goddamn life.” (84) -  Re-education camp is the official title given to the prison camps operated by the Communist government of Vietnam following the end of the Vietnam War. In such "reeducation camps", the government imprisoned up to 300,000 former military officers, government workers and supporters of the former government of South Vietnam. Reeducation as it was implemented in Vietnam was seen as both a means of revenge and as a sophisticated technique of repression and indoctrination, which developed following the 1975 Fall of Saigon. Thousands were tortured or abused. Prisoners were incarcerated for as long as 17 years, with most terms ranging from three to 10 years. (Source) For more info see: Vietnamese Reeducation Camps 

 

“We died the moment the VC crossed Newport Bridge into Saigon and you flew us the fuck outta there to save us.” (85) – A bridge crossing the Saigon River, connecting Bình Thạnh District and District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, on the Hanoi Highway. On 5 May 1968 during the May or "mini-Tet" Offensive, a 300-man Vietcong regiment attacked the bridge and the adjacent Newport dock facility but were driven off by Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces. By 28 April 1975 as the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) continued their advance on Saigon, the Vietcong seized the Thảo Điền area at the eastern end of the bridge and attempted to seize the bridge but were repulsed by the ARVN 12th Airborne Battalion. On the morning of 30 April PAVN sappers attempted to seize the bridge but were repulsed by the ARVN Airborne. At 09:00 the PAVN tank column approached the bridge and came under fire from ARVN tanks which destroyed the lead T-54, killing the PAVN Battalion commander. The ARVN and PAVN continued to exchange tank and artillery fire until 10:24, when the ARVN commander received President Dương Văn Minh's capitulation order over the radio. While the bridge was rigged with approximately 4000lbs of demolition charges, the ARVN stood down and at 10:30 the PAVN column crossed the bridge. (Source

 

“Mickey Rooney. Yul Brynner. David Carradine. They all wanting to be Oriental.” (92) – Mickey Rooney (American actor) in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Yul Brynner (Russian-born actor) in The King and I. David Carradine (American actors/martial artist) in Kung Fu.

 

“’If the President not careful, this will be another Vietnam.” (97) – On May 16, 1969 President Richard Nixon said, in his address to the nation, “But we want to end it permanently so that the younger brothers of our soldiers in Vietnam will not have to fight in the future in another Vietnam someplace else.” (Source)  “’It won’t be another Vietnam,’ President Bush keeps saying about the Persian Gulf war.” (Source) Video of Bush

Above: Fort Chaffee (Source

Above: Camp Pendleton (Source)

Above: Refugees arriving at Eglin AFB. (Source)

Above: TH-55 (Source)

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