![\"Saigon-hubert-van-es\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Saigon-hubert-van-es-300x197.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nSaigon, the capital of South Vietnam, fell 40 years ago today. The picture above was actually taken the day before, also the last two Americans killed in the war in Vietnam, Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge were killed forty years ago yesterday when the North Vietnamese regulars shelled T\u00e2n Son Nhut Airport;<\/p>\n
![\"Charles_McMahon_and_Darwin_Judge\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Charles_McMahon_and_Darwin_Judge-300x180.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nThe Vietnamese call the date April 30th “Reunification Day”, but the United States should call it “Abandonment Day”. By the articles of the Paris Accords, the US had a responsibility to prevent the fall of the South Vietnamese government, but the country and the politicians were weary of the war and just let it tip over to the Communists instead of making good on our promises. The fall of the South Vietnamese government was followed by the establishment of reeducation camps and years of terror culminating in the mass exodus of “boat people” from the country. <\/p>\n
Communist Vietnam tried to prove the justification of the “Domino Theory” that led the US into that war in the beginning when they tried to invade Laos in the late 70s, but they were turned back by Chinese troops. <\/p>\n
58,000 Americans died as a result of their participation in the war in Vietnam, about 18,000 were draftees, 5900 were Reservists, 101 were National Guardsmen, 8 were women – 1 woman was KIA. 2.6 million Americans served within the borders of Vietnam from January 1, 1965 to March 28, 1973. Another 50,000 had served there before 1965. About 7500 were women. More than 2300 Americans were Missing In Action at the end of US participation in hostilities in Vietnam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"