As South Vietnam Air Force Pilot Chieu Le and his crew boarded their helicopter, they thought it would be a routine mission, fly from Can Tho to Soc Trang and get refueled.
But arriving at Soc Trang, they received hostile fire from the ground. Low on fuel, the best option was to return back to Can Tho. That’s when an order came over the radio, all South Vietnamese soldiers were to surrender to the Communist forces.
“Stop what you are doing, drop your weapon and equipment, and wait for the other side will come in and take over. He said, each each pilot in command will have control of your own helicopter.”
To be captured by the Viet Cong would either mean prison or death for the men.
“I talked to my crew. I said ‘How do you feel about that?’ And they want to know how I feel first. I said well, right now I don’t know where to go. But if we still have the aircraft we still have hope.”
That’s the moment Chieu Le began his journey to America.