Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 05:26, 15 January 2010

Charles McMahon (May 10, 1953 - April 29, 1975) and Darwin Lee Judge (February 16, 1956 - April 29, 1975) were the last two U.S. servicemen killed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Both Marines died in a rocket attack on April 29, 1975, while providing security for the DAO Compound, adjacent to Tân Sơn Nhứt Airport in Saigon [1]. The American evacuation of Saigon was complete by the next day, April 30, 1975.

Corporal Charles McMahon was from Woburn, Massachusetts. Lance Corporal Darwin Judge was an Eagle Scout and was from Marshalltown, Iowa. Judge was 19 years old at the time of his death. McMahon was one month short of his 22 birthday.

Both men were members of the Marine Security Guard Battalion at the US Embassy, Saigon. They were killed in artillery fire from several approaching NVA infantry divisions closing in on Saigon. Their bodies were left behind but were returned to their families the next year for burial. Judge never received the Purple Heart he deserved and was not given Marine burial honors until 25 years later [2].

The first U.S. casualty in Vietnam was Flying Tiger John T. Donovan who was killed on May 12, 1942, but American involvement in Vietnam was not considered official at that time and as such his name does not appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial [3]. The first two official casualties were U.S. Army Major Dale R. Buis and Master Sergeant Chester Charles Ovnand who were killed 17 years before McMahon and Judge on July 18, 1959. The last casualties of the Vietnam War recorded on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are the Americans killed in the Mayaguez Incident.

External links

This biographical article related to the United States Marine Corps is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about the Vietnam War is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{redirect|Charles McMahon|the Australian musician|Charlie McMahon}}
 [[File:DarwinJudge.jpg|thumb|right|LCpl Darwin L. Judge]][[File:CharlesMcMahon.jpg|thumb|left|Cpl Charles McMahon]]
-'''Charles McMahon''' (May 10, 1953 - April 29, 1975) and '''Darwin Lee Judge''' (February 16, 1956 - April 29, 1975) were the last two U.S. servicemen killed in the [[Vietnam War]]. Both [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] died in a rocket attack on April 29, 1975, while providing security for the [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam|DAO Compound]], adjacent to [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Tân Sơn Nhứt Airport]] in [[Saigon]] [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/04/26/national/main188943.shtml]. The [[Fall of Saigon|American evacuation of Saigon]] was complete by the next day, April 30, 1975.
+'''Charles McMahon''' (May 10, 1953 - April 29, 1975) and '''Darwin Lee Judge''' (February 16, 1956 - April 29, 1975) were the last two U.S. servicemen killed in Vietnam during the [[Vietnam War]]. Both [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] died in a rocket attack on April 29, 1975, while providing security for the [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam|DAO Compound]], adjacent to [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Tân Sơn Nhứt Airport]] in [[Saigon]] [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/04/26/national/main188943.shtml]. The [[Fall of Saigon|American evacuation of Saigon]] was complete by the next day, April 30, 1975.
 Corporal Charles McMahon was from [[Woburn, Massachusetts|Woburn]], [[Massachusetts]]. Lance Corporal Darwin Judge was an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]] and was from [[Marshalltown, Iowa|Marshalltown]], [[Iowa]]. Judge was 19 years old at the time of his death. McMahon was one month short of his 22 birthday.
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Both men were members of the [[Marine Corps Security Guard|Marine Security Guard]] Battalion at the [[US Embassy, Saigon]]. They were killed in artillery fire from several approaching [[People's Army of Vietnam|NVA]] infantry divisions closing in on Saigon. Their bodies were left behind but were returned to their families the next year for burial. Judge never received the [[Purple Heart]] he deserved and was not given Marine burial honors until 25 years later [http://www.scopesys.com/cgi-bin/bio2.cgi?bio=J052].
-The first U.S. casualty in Vietnam was [[Flying Tiger]] [[John T. Donovan]] who was killed on May 12, 1942, but American involvement in Vietnam was not considered official at that time and as such his name does not appear on the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] [http://www.touchthewall.org/facts.html#1v]. The first two official casualties were U.S. Army Major [[Dale R. Buis]] and Master Sergeant [[Chester Charles Ovnand]] who were killed 17 years before McMahon and Judge on July 18, 1959.
+The first U.S. casualty in Vietnam was [[Flying Tiger]] [[John T. Donovan]] who was killed on May 12, 1942, but American involvement in Vietnam was not considered official at that time and as such his name does not appear on the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] [http://www.touchthewall.org/facts.html#1v]. The first two official casualties were U.S. Army Major [[Dale R. Buis]] and Master Sergeant [[Chester Charles Ovnand]] who were killed 17 years before McMahon and Judge on July 18, 1959. The last casualties of the [[Vietnam War]] recorded on the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] are the Americans killed in the [[Mayaguez Incident]].
 ==See also==