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1975) New
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© 1998-2011 Roger A. Lee and
05.13.11 "The
History Guy" is a Registered
Trademark. The
Mayaguez Incident (May,
1975) NAME OF
CONFLICT:
The
Mayaguez Incident BELLIGERENTS: The
United States vs. The
Khmer Rouge (communist guerrillas in
Cambodia) DATES
OF CONFLICT: BEGAN:
May 12, 1975 ENDED:
May 15, 1975 TYPE(S)
OF CONFLICT: Inter-State,
guerrilla RELATED
CONFLICTS: PREDECESSOR:
*Though
the Second Indochina War (known in the
U.S. as the Vietnam War), ended on
April 30, 1975 with the fall of Saigon
to the Communists, the Mayaguez
Incident is considered by the U.S.
military to be a part of that larger
conflict. The names of the American
dead from the Mayaguez operation are
engraved on the Vietnam Memorial in
Washington, D.C., with their names
listed last, signifying that these
casualties are considered the last
combat deaths of the Vietnam
War. CONCURRENT: SUCCESSOR:
Sino-Vietnamese
War (1979) Sino-Vietnamese
Border War (1979-1987) Description: Less than
two weeks after the Communist conquest of
South Vietnam, forces of the Communist
Khmer Rouge in Cambodia attacked and
seized an American merchant ship, the
Mayaguez, and captured the crew.
President Gerald
Ford
reacted by sending in the Marines to
rescue the crew. The Khmer
Rouge released the crew, but not before
inflicting casualties on the American
force. A total of 41 Marines and Airmen
died, with 50 wounded. See the links below
for more detail on the actual combat
operations. Casualties: U.S.: 41 total dead and
missing. 18 Marines and Airmen killed in
action/missing in action. 23 Marines
killed in a helicopter crash during the
operation. 50 wounded. Cambodia/Khmer Rouge: 60 killed
(estimate) Links The
Mayaguez Incident Capture
and Release of SS Mayaguez--From
the U.S. Merchant Marine website. Photographs:
Mayaguez Incident--Photos of
President Gerald Ford in the White
House during the Incident. From the
Gerald R. Ford Presidential
library. SIU
Flashback: Notable Events in the
Union's History Captured in Cambodia:
The Tale of the
Mayaguez--Interesting account of
the Mayaguez capture and rescue from
the perspective of the civilian sailors
aboard the Mayaguez. Lance
Corporal Andres "Andy"
Garcia--Article on the recently
recovered and identified remains of one
of the Mayaguez casualties. Well worth
reading! Lance
Corporal Joseph Hargrove--
Describes the Battle of Kho Tang Island
and details the fact that three
marines, including Hargrove, were left
behind in Cambodia. A
Military Mission Gone Wrong:A New Look
At The Mayaguez Incident--From CBS
News Minutes of White House meetings on
the Mayaguez Incident. Click on a date
(below) to see scanned images of the
actual minutes of each meeting. From
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential
library. Cambodia The
Khmer Rouge Reign of
Terror "The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Contact
the webmaster Please
cite this source when appropriate: Lee,
R. "The History Guy:
The
Mayaguez Incident" http://www.historyguy.com/mayaguez_incident.html
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on the American Military History and on
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Copyright
© 1998-2010 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 04.02.10
The
Second Indochina War
Third
Indochina War
Vietnam-Cambodia
War (1977-1992)
May
12, 1975
Beauty
and Darkness: Cambodia in Modern
History-- Modern Cambodian history.
Cambodia:
Year Zero--An account from
eyewitnesses as told to François
Ponchaud is French Roman Catholic
priest who lived and worked in Cambodia
for many years.
