Malden man remembers the Fall of Saigon 50 years later

By Kevin Jarvis, Malden Veterans Services’ Officer

Two Massachusetts veterans traveled to San Diego, California, for the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.

Former Marine Cpl. John Ghilain, who was raised in Medford and now lives in Malden, along with Sgt. William Newell, of Hopkinton, made the journey to meet with their former Noncommissioned Officer in Charge Master Sergeant Juan Valdez and fellow Saigon Marine Security Guards at their 50th Reunion to honor the service and sacrifice of two fellow Marine Security Guards who were two of the last American military personnel killed in action 50 years ago in Saigon while assisting U.S. citizens and third country nationals to flee the advancing North Vietnamese troops who were encircling the city.

Their fellow Saigon Marine Security Guards, Cpl. Charles McMahon, of Woburn, and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge, of Marshalltown, Iowa, were killed by a North Vietnamese rocket at the Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam on April 29, 1975. Those two Marines had been sent to the airport to guard the main gate while thousands of people were being evacuated by aircraft from advancing North Vietnamese troops.

Ten years ago on April 29, 2015, John Ghilain and Bill Newell along with fellow Saigon Marines dedicated a large bronze plaque in honor of Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge inside the compound at the American Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) in Vietnam during the former Marines’ first trip back to Vietnam since their departure by helicopter on the last two helicopters to leave the embassy on April 30, 1975, when they were among the last to leave Vietnam. They were the last men out of Vietnam during those hectic last days.

Along with the deaths of McMahon and Judge, two other Marines died that day during the massive evacuation. Capt. William Nystul and Lt. Michael Shea were killed when their helicopter crashed into the sea attempting to reach the rescue ships. The bodies of Nystul and Shea were never recovered.

These four Marines were among the last Americans to die in Vietnam. Today, thousands of Americans, Vietnamese and other foreign residents and their descendants owe a debt of gratitude to the U.S. Marines who worked at the American Embassy, who aided them, protected them and helped them board 81 helicopters during a 19-hour period of chaos to escape from the American Embassy compound to safety aboard American warships.

During the last days of April 1975, John Ghilain, Bill Newell and their fellow Marine Security Guards took part in one of the largest humanitarian missions in history to rescue thousands of Americans, South Vietnamese and third country nationals during America’s final days in Vietnam. These Marines helped more than 7,000 people evacuate Saigon by helicopter on April 29 and 30, 1975.

Ghilain – also known as “Big John Ghilain” – had been in Saigon for eight months by April 1975, after transferring from the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Near the end of the evacuation, Ghilain helped his boss, Valdez, and other Marines pull U.S. citizens, Vietnamese and many other citizens of other countries up over the locked gate into the safety of the Embassy compound. Those Americans were some of the lucky ones who made it out. Today, Ghilain lives in Malden and is retired from the Medford Police Department.

Years ago, the Saigon Marines formed the Fall of Saigon Marines Association, a public benefit and nonprofit corporation whose members consist of U.S. Marines who served at U.S. missions in the Republic of Vietnam during the spring of 1975. Valdez is the association’s president, and Ghilain serves as the vice president and public affairs officer.

Malden Veterans Services’ Officer Kevin Jarvis is also a former Marine Security Guard. In May 1975, a month after the Fall of Saigon, Jarvis met Master Sergeant Juan Valdez and they served together for the next year in the same Company at Camp Pendleton, California, from Saigon in May 1975 until April 1976, when Valdez selected Jarvis to attend the elite Marine Security Guard School then located in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Jarvis has met with many of the Saigon Marine Security Guards at various Marine reunions over the years.

WBUR senior correspondent Bob Oakes traveled with John Ghilain and Bill Newell to document the 50th Reunion of those brave Marines who served and protected thousands of Americans, Vietnamese and many others before boarding the last two helicopters out of Vietnam with the American flag!

More information about the Fall of Saigon can be found in the book “Last Men Out” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. It chronicles the final days of duty of the Saigon Marines during the evacuation and fall of Saigon, South Vietnam. Malden’s John Ghilain is mentioned often throughout the book.

This week, many news outlets are reporting about the Marine Security Guards and the many helicopter pilots who participated in the largest helicopter rescue mission in history during the evacuation of the American Embassy 50 years ago in Saigon, Vietnam.