50 years on from Fall of Saigon, East TN veterans look back on Vietnam War fallout
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — This week marks 50 years since the end of the controversial Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, the capital of South Vietnam fell to North Vietnamese forces. Veterans remember watching as remaining Americans were evacuated and tanks moved into the capital.
Bill Robinson, a retired Air Force Captain and former prisoner of war, reflected on the events his commemorative coins represent. He shares the record as the longest-held enlisted POW in history, more than 7 years. The notorious Hanoi Hilton was his prison home beginning 60 years ago. He was released along with other POWs in March 1973.
Longest-held enlisted POW recounts how he stayed sane in captivity
Their return home ended American's military involvement in the unpopular Vietnam War. Then 25 months later, the end of April 1975, the South Vietnamese government collapsed. The capital fell into the hands of the North Vietnamese communist Army.
'Those images we saw were frightening,' Robinson said. 'We weren't prepared for the moment.'
A few years earlier, the war strategy on the ground shifted. American GIs trained the Army of South Vietnam to the fighting.
'The whole purpose of the last four years of the Vietnam War was to turn the war back over to the Vietnamese and let them fight their own war,' Robinson explained.
Full special: Vietnam – A Lost Generation
The South Vietnam Army battled their communist enemy for two years after American troops went home. Retired Air Force Captain Robinson was disheartened with the results.
'Essentially, Congress stopped the war by cutting off the funding and then expected it to be smooth,' he said.
'My friend and brother Bill Robinson, every time we meet, how can you not think about 7 and a half years of captivity and what they did?' said Vietnam veteran Pat Polis.
Polis was 19 years old when he was drafted. He went through Officer Candidate School at the age of 20 and served two tours with the Signal Corps in South Vietnam. Pat had been discharged for one year in 1975.
'We spent all those years and all that money. 58,000 lives, for what? For what?' Polis asked. 'Five of my OCS classmates are on the wall. Eight nurses are on the wall. Sixteen chaplains are on the wall. We spent all those years fighting, fighting so the south could be free. Then in 1975, what?'
When Robinson saw the pictures out of Vietnam, his emotions also centered on those who gave so much.
'We sacrificed our youth. All we got was criticism in our own country,' Robinson recalled.
There's was no bitterness in 1995 when Bill met the young woman who is pictured in his book 'The Longest Rescue.'
The Vietnam War 50 years later: A timeline of events
'That's the gorilla girl. She was 17 years old,' Robinson recalled while looking over photos. 'She participated in my capture and was used in the propaganda picture.'
A film documentary team arranged for Robinson to meet Kim Nguyen and her family at their home in North Vietnam.
'The war was over. It was time to put away the war things and work on peace,' Robinson said.
Ten years ago, Robinson was impressed with what he saw in South Vietnam when he returned with other veterans.
'They greeted us just like it was in '95. They greeted us with open arms. They were ready for Americans to come back.'
'I had no desire to come back' Vietnam vets make emotional return to battlefield
'I think the Vietnamese people appreciate what we did more than the American people did. That's sad,' Robinson said when asked about his reaction to the reception.
Polis is also left questioning the cost and sacrifice of the Vietnam War.
'What about all those lives? It wasn't just about all the money we spent there, but all those lives that we lost.'
For Robinson, it's the names on the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC that haunt him.
'I think about the 58,000 who gave their all without real appreciation,' he added.
Today, Saigon is known Ho Chi Minh City. It's modern city with a population of 10 million and a rapidly-developing economy. Throughout Vietnam, which has been a unified country for 50 years, April 30 is celebrated as a public holiday called 'reunification Day. Among the Vietnamese who fled 50 years ago, and many live in America, the week of April 30 is referred to as Black April, a reference some American veterans may agree with.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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