| Timeline Continued |
| Victory for the VC and North Vietnamese was now assured; and eventually, both the South Vietnamese civilians and military streamed into Tan Son Nhut Air Base and Saigon hoping to escape the brutality of the advantancing Communist forces. Vietnam, 1973 - When the last American combat troops were evacuated, the South Vietnamese government and military were swiftly over whelmed by the Viet Cong. It's now believed that virtually all American 'War Dogs" perished then. Vietnam, 1973 - March 29th, between 11:30 and 1300, the last remaining security police of the last operational squadron in the Republic of Vietnam, the 377th Security Police Squadron, were withdrawn from Tan Son Nhut Air Base. The last man to leave was the commander, Lt. Colonel Bill Luckett Vietnam, 1973 - March 29th, US Security Policemen, from the 3rd Security Police Group were sent to Tan Son Nhut AB to perform security screening at the airport and to prevent saboteurs and stowaways from boarding evacuation aircraft. Every passenger evacuated was processed by members of the 3rd SP Group, until April 29th, 1975. Thailand, 1974 - The US Air Force started the transfer of the Security Police dogs to the Thai Air Force, for service and patrol. During the war, dogs were stationed at eight different air bases: Don Muang, Kokha, Korat, Nakhom Phanom, Takhli, Ubon, Udorn, and U-Tapao. Unlike the US dogs, that were turned over to the ARVN, the Thai dogs did survive the end of the war. Vietnam, 1975 - April 30th, 19:30, the last ten Marines and Air Force security policemen left the American DOA compound with the remaining embassy passengers on board a CH-53 operated by the 56th Special Operations unit at Nhakon Phanom RTAFB and were taken to the aircraft carrier USS Midway. The war in Vietnam was over. During the Vietnam War, about 4,000 US dogs were employed in various capacities, of these 281 were officially killed in action. No more than a handful was ever returned to the United States. And more than 9,000 Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force handlers served in Vietnam during the war years. |