The U.S. Naval War College Museum and Varnum Memorial Armory will hold a program in honor of 2020 Vietnam War Veterans Day. The documentary, “The Lucky Few: The Story of the USS Kirk,” will begin at 3 p.m., followed by a question and answer period with retired Cmdr. Hugh J. Doyle, former chief engineer of the USS Kirk during the fall of Saigon. Vietnam veterans will be recognized during the program.
As the Vietnam War reached its tragic climax in April 1975, a task force of U.S. Navy ships cruised off South Vietnam's coast. Their mission was to support the evacuation of the American embassy and military advisers from Saigon as well as to secure the safety of the South Vietnamese whose lives were endangered by the North Vietnamese victory. "The Lucky Few" recounts the selfless acts of heroism of the USS Kirk. Dubbed Operation Frequent Wind, it was the final act of the Vietnam War. Doyle served as a surface warfare officer for more than twenty years. As chief engineer on USS Kirk, he took part in Operation Eagle Pull (Cambodia), Operation Frequent Wind (Vietnam) and Operation New Life (the voyage of 32 vessels of the former South Vietnamese Navy). Doyle served as executive officer of the USS Fanning and was promoted to commander while attached there. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College, and the former vice president and the current historian of the USS Kirk association.
Varnum Memorial Armory Museum will be open prior to the event from 1 -3 p.m.
Lectures and programs are free, open to the public. No reservations are required.