Juan Jose Valdez, Last Marine Out of Saigon, Dies at 88

During the fall of the South Vietnamese capital in 1975, he helped evacuate thousands, and was nearly left behind.

The last Marine to leave Vietnam has died. Juan Valdez was 88.

To the leathernecks who served under him, it was only fitting that Master Sergeant Valdez was the last of their unit to depart Saigon.
OPB

Photos: A look back at the fall of Saigon and the final days of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War came to an end on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The fall of the city marked the end of the South Vietnamese government and ...
Hartford Courant

PHOTOS: Documenting the fall of Saigon in photos

In the morning of April 29, 1975, a massive evacuation exercise began in Saigon, which ended almost 24 hours later. About 6,500 people had been airlifted by the end of the exercise, including nearly ...
Military Times

The real story behind that iconic Saigon evacuation photograph

Hubert Van Es' photograph capturing the 1975 fall of Saigon became one of the most enduring images from the Vietnam War. (Mike Clarke/AFP via Getty Images) Editor’s note: April 30, 2025, marks the ...
Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Final defeat: Vietnam vets reflect on fall of Saigon 30 years later

Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more. When Vietnam veteran Patrick Sheridan watched the chaotic crumble of Saigon on television 30 ...