With so many South Vietnamese helicopters landing on the USS Kirk, the crew had no choice but to push the helicopters overboard once they'd unloaded their passengers.
American Experience Executive Producer Mark Samels discusses why the events depicted in Last Days in Vietnam are a critical chapter in American history.
In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was closing in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance was crumbling. On the ground, American and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands to evacuate as many people as possible.
After the shelling of Tan Son Nhut Airport by North Vietnamese troops, the U.S. Ambassador was left with only one evacuation option—a helicopter evacuation.
