Last Men Out: The True Story of America's Heroic Final Hours in Vietnam

On April 30, 1975, for twenty-four straight harrowing hours, a small band of U.S. Marines exhibited exceptional bravery to evacuate thousands from Saigon as North Vietnamese forces surged toward the city. Based on a wealth of recently declassified documents and in-depth, firsthand accounts, Last Men Out is the pulse-pounding story of that day, told primarily through the courageous actions of the eleven men who were the last to be flown off the U.S. embassy roof, rescued from certain death just moments before capture. Among them: Marine Captain Gerry Berry, who piloted his helicopter for eighteen hours straight and had to forcibly carry off the American ambassador, and General Richard Carey, who insisted that he would arrest any officer who ordered choppers grounded while there were still Marines in Saigon. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin gained unprecedented access to the actual transmissions between helicopter pilots, officers, and officials in Saigon, secretly recorded by the National Security Agency, and have had the full cooperation of the eight surviving men of those last eleven. Last Men Out unfolds with all the heart-stopping urgency of the best thrillers-a riveting true story finally told, in full, by those who lived it.

From the authors of the runaway hit Halsey's Typhoon comes this gripping, moment-by-moment account of the heroic operation by U.S. Marines to rescue thousands of American troops and allies in the final twenty-four hours of the Vietnam War-focusing on the remarkable stories of the eleven young Marines who were the last men to leave.

A contributing editor and foreign correspondent for Men's Health magazine, Bob Drury has reported from numerous war zones. His last solo book, The Rescue Season, was made into a documentary for the History Channel.

Tom Clavin is the author of eight books, including Dark Noon: The Final Voyage of the Fishing Boat Pelican.