On Vietnam Veterans Day, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum honored all Vietnam veterans as well as two men who lost their lives in the last marine helicopter crash of Vietnam. March 29, 2019 marked 46 years since U.S. troops pulled out of Vietnam.
Vietnam veterans were honored with Vietnam War pins along with the ceremony. Patriots Point offered free admission for them and their families all day!
During the memorial ceremony, the CH-46 helicopter in the Vietnam Experience was dedicated in honor of two men who were killed in the last Marine helicopter crash of the Vietnam war. During the evacuation of Saigon on April 29, 1975, the pilot and co-pilot of aircraft YT-14, Capt. William C. Nystul and 1st Lt. Michael Shea, were attempting to land on the USS Hancock when their helicopter crashed into the Pacific ocean. Their bodies were never recovered. The aircraft's crew chief and gunner both survived.
Patriots Point also opened a brand new Vietnam War Special Forces Exhibit on Vietnam Veterans Day. The exhibit showcased how Green Beret's in the US Army's Special Forces unit relied on oppressed tribe people known as the Montagnards to help fight the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong.
Thank you to all our veterans and all those that gave their lives in the Vietnam War and all wars. We will never forget you!
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