By April 1975, the NVA was now in full force invading South Vietnam. With thousands of troops and tanks entering Saigon, a massive evacuation ensued, where an unprecedented amount of civilians were desperately trying to flee the country knowing full well the faith that awaited them.
Maj. Ba Van Nguyen was a South Vietnamese officer who, on the morning of April 29, stole a Chinook Helicopter in order to rescue his family. He managed to land near his home and get his family and neighbors onboard.
He eventually made his way towards the USS Kirk, where they were already busy trying to rescue more refugees. Choppers were simply pushed off the its deck and into the ocean after the refugees they carried disembarked to make room for more helicopters to land. When the ship saw the Chinook, they waved him off. The Chinook was too big. If it landed, its rotors would destroy the upper portion of the ship and hurt or kill many others.
So Nguyen stuck his head out and managed to convey in crude sign language that he wanted to hover over the deck in order to let the passengers jump off.
Sailors rushed to the rear deck while Nguyen held his craft steady. He had to maintain a steady height of about 12 to 15 feet off the deck of the bobbing ship. The last to jump was the copilot, leaving Nguyen alone.
He then veered away from the Kirk and settled the helicopter’s wheels a few feet above the water. While still piloting the craft, he slowly took off his clothes, shoes, and holstered gun. Nguyen then veered the chopper to the right as he jumped out the left door.
He tried to stay under as the chopper crashed, desperate to avoid the exploding shrapnel and whirling rotors. But buoyancy kept forcing him to surface. The Chinook turned over, looming over Nguyen before slamming back down with its wheels now pointing skyward.
The red circle shows the proximity of Nguyen with the crashing helo.
He was eventually rescued. Within six months of arriving in America, Nguyen took his family off of welfare, eager to pay America back for what it had done for his family. #hero #hardfuck #family #stayzero