On April 30th, 1975 the fall of Saigon took place marking the end of the Vietnam war through the evacuation of all American military along with thousands of civilians. The evacuation was through an operation known as Operation Frequent Wind which became the largest helicopter evacuation in history. During this time communist forces were advancing from the North to capture Saigon. Over 1,000 American civilians and over 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees were flown out of Saigon in less than 18 hours (Butler, 1985). The picture is chosen as it clearly illustrates thousands of Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers fighting for space on the helicopter.
Butler, D. (1985). The fall of Saigon: Scenes from the sudden end of a long war. Simon & Schuster.
