Ridge Runner Chronicles: “April 30, 1975”

By Editor | May 21, 2025 |

By Bill Hoagland

The date “April 30, 1975” doesn’t mean much these days despite its historical significance. April 30, 1975 was the day fifty years ago when the last American soldier in Viet Nam boarded a helicopter on top of the US Embassy in Saigon and we officially exited the country with our tail between our legs, leaving thousands behind to face their own fate with the Communists. We celebrated the end of WW I and WW II but we have never celebrated the end of the Viet Nam War nor, in my opinion, have the soldiers who fought in Viet Nam received the recognition they deserve for their commitment and bravery in fighting under horrible circumstances. Many gave it all they had in Viet Nam because they believed it was the patriotic thing to do. They were responding to President Kennedy’s famous challenge to “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”.

I was on active duty in the Army for three years during the Viet Nam War and was assuming I would eventually get orders for Viet Nam but wound up being deployed to the DMZ in Korea. Initially, I wondered what I missed by not being in Viet Nam so after the war was over, I began reading every book I could get my hands on about combat in Viet Nam. I was stunned by the degree of commitment and bravery by our soldiers in Viet Nam. And despite continuing to read Viet Nam books for the past 40 years, I am still overwhelmed by the stories. I just finished a book entitled, “My Senior Trip” by John Reeg, which highlights the sacrifices I am talking about. The title of this book unfortunately trivializes what a particular young enlisted marine endured during and after the war, but it is a book I strongly recommend if you want to get a better sense of what these soldiers went through.

After reading this book, it occurred to me that during the last fifty years, there have been a number of times in state and national elections that I have been voting for candidates I perceived to be the lesser of two evils and not candidates I felt enthusiastic about supporting. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you are on, maybe you have felt the same way. What happened to the moral leaders that we could all feel good about supporting?

And that question leads me to this: In the Viet Nam War, 58,000 of America’s finest were killed in combat and thousands more later died or were permanently incapacitated because of the war. And many more survived all this but decided that with all due respect to President Kennedy’s inspiring call to action, they did what was required of them in Viet Nam, but there would be no more asking “what more they could do for their country”; enough was enough. And maybe that’s a major reason why, after Viet Nam, we did not have an ample supply of true moral leaders stepping up to the plate to serve our country as political figures we all could relate to. The real shame is that if President Kennedy had not been assassinated, he intended to end our limited involvement in Viet Nam before it took on a life of its own and could not be stopped.

Note: Some political candidates over the past fifty years have been morally worthy of our support. Locally, one such politician morally worthy of our support, in my humble opinion, was Illinois State Senator Bill Haine, a former helicopter machine gunner with the US Army’s First Cavalry, who remained inspired to run for political office despite his personal sacrifices in Viet Nam. And there have certainly been others but not enough in my opinion.

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ν Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].

Posted in Opinion