President Ford

On May 12, 1975, a U.S.-registered merchant vessel The SS Mayaguez was seized by Cambodian forces and towed to Cambodia. In response, the U.S. dispatched a force of a thousand men to liberate the Mayaguez and its crew. Upon arrival, the U.S. forces found the crew missing. Although the Cambodians eventually agreed to release the U.S. personnel, the operation resulted in the tragic loss of thirty-eight soldiers..

The SS Mayaguez, an American merchant ship, was seized by the Khmer Rouge, a communist party in Cambodia, in international waters in the Gulf of Thailand. This seizure represented a significant escalation in tensions between the U.S. and the newly established communist government in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge alleged the ship had intruded into its territorial waters, a claim the U.S. rejected.

In response, then U.S. President Gerald Ford dispatched U.S. armed forces to rescue the vessel and its crew. A one-thousand-man force was assembled for this purpose. Marines were airlifted onto the Mayaguez and onto Koh Tang, an island off the Cambodian coast where the crew was suspected to be held. This was a significant military response and demonstrated the U.S. government's commitment to protecting its citizens and assets abroad.

However, when the U.S. forces arrived at the Mayaguez, they found the crew missing. The operation quickly turned into a significant debacle when the Khmer Rouge released the crew independently and before the U.S. forces could reach them. The crew had been put on a fishing boat that was sent out to sea, and were picked up by a U.S. Navy destroyer.

During the operation, there were significant casualties. The effort to retake the ship and the associated battles on Koh Tang led to the death of 38 U.S. military personnel. The swift and overwhelming use of force was later criticized given the fact that the crew was released around the same time the military operation was launched.

The Mayaguez incident was the last official battle of the Vietnam War. The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three U.S. Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and were subsequently executed by the Khmer Rouge, are the last names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The incident remains a controversial example of the use of U.S. military force in the 20th century.