I just wanted to add a remembrance of what was the last battle of the Vietnam War, begun on May 12, 1975 with the seizure of the US container ship, the SS Mayaguez, and it crew of 39 men by Communist Cambodian military forces and ending with the release of the hostage crew members and the SS Mayaguez and a subsequent joint branch military action against the Khmer Rouge bases on an island and mainland Cambodia. The price of rescuing the Mayaguez crew was steep:
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Casualties during the operation were 10 U.S. Marines, two Navy corpsmen, and an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 31; an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 21; one Marine killed in action on the West Beach; and three Marines missing in action and presumed dead. Fifty were wounded, including thirty-five Marines and six airmen. In addition a CH-53 crashed due to mechanical failure on the way to U-Tapao airfield, killing eighteen USAF Security Police and five flight crew.
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The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three U.S. Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and were subsequently executed by the Khmer Rouge, are the last names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident
Thus was the real end of the Vietnam War, fought after the war was supposedly "over". I just didn't want to see the day pass without a salute to these soldiers. They deserve to be more than being just a historical footnote...
To those who gave their all in this action, I want to say you are not forgotten. To those who survived, sincere thanks for your service and bravery...
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