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Goodnight Saigon: The True Story of the U.S. Marines' Last Days in Vietnam
A Marine Corps veteran and author of Marine Sniper draws on extensive interviews and research to provide a firsthand view of the final days of American involvement in Vietnam, from the Paris Peace Accords to the last hours before the fall of Saigon and the rescue of the last five Marines from the roof of the U.S. embassy.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2005
12 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Charles Henderson
69 books55 followersRetired from the United States Marine Corps, July 1, 1993 as a Chief Warrant Officer with 23 years and two months active duty service. Combat duty includes Vietnam and Lebanon. Decorations include Combat Action Ribbon and Meritorious Service Medal. Training included: infantry skills, combat tactics and leadership, special operations and terrorism (anti and counter), sniper, reconnaissance, parachute, infantry weapons, survival in desert and jungle environments, rough terrain skills (mountaineering), cold weather, water survival qualified (both from ground and aviation perspectives) (highest possible water survival rating), marksmanship and instruction of marksmanship (competition in arms program, shooting team member at Quantico), and public affairs (public affairs officer, combat correspondent, photojournalist, print and broadcast journalist).
In 1976 received Commercial Airplane Pilot Certification (commercial pilot license) with Instrument Airplane rating.
In 1997 licensed as a commodity futures broker and commodity futures brokerage firm manager. Worked as Director of Commodities and Communications at National Livestock Producers Association and as General Manager of NLPA’s National Producers Service Company (a national commodity futures brokerage firm whose primary business was assisting livestock producers in risk management, marketing and hedging their enterprises) until July 1999. Resigned to the position to write books full-time.
For two years prior to joining the Marine Corps worked as a newspaper reporter and sports editor for the Artesia Daily Press in New Mexico, also a stringer reporter for United Press International.
After Marine Corps service pursued career as full-time, free-lance journalist. Also operated family cattle ranching operation in Oklahoma until 1997 when accepting the executive position with National Livestock Producers Association.
While working as a free-lance journalist, returned to Vietnam on assignment for LIFE Magazine with friend and colleague, Dirck Halstead, then senior White House photographer for TIME Magazine. After completing LIFE assignment, remained in Vietnam and filmed a documentary that examined the end of the Vietnam War. While shooting the documentary, gathered material and compiled interviews for Goodnight Saigon, published January 4, 2005 by the G. P. Putnam / Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group (USA), New York, New York.
Today, resides at Peyton, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, writing books, and breeding, raising and developing registered American Quarter Horses for professional rodeo and futurity competition.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In 1976 received Commercial Airplane Pilot Certification (commercial pilot license) with Instrument Airplane rating.
In 1997 licensed as a commodity futures broker and commodity futures brokerage firm manager. Worked as Director of Commodities and Communications at National Livestock Producers Association and as General Manager of NLPA’s National Producers Service Company (a national commodity futures brokerage firm whose primary business was assisting livestock producers in risk management, marketing and hedging their enterprises) until July 1999. Resigned to the position to write books full-time.
For two years prior to joining the Marine Corps worked as a newspaper reporter and sports editor for the Artesia Daily Press in New Mexico, also a stringer reporter for United Press International.
After Marine Corps service pursued career as full-time, free-lance journalist. Also operated family cattle ranching operation in Oklahoma until 1997 when accepting the executive position with National Livestock Producers Association.
While working as a free-lance journalist, returned to Vietnam on assignment for LIFE Magazine with friend and colleague, Dirck Halstead, then senior White House photographer for TIME Magazine. After completing LIFE assignment, remained in Vietnam and filmed a documentary that examined the end of the Vietnam War. While shooting the documentary, gathered material and compiled interviews for Goodnight Saigon, published January 4, 2005 by the G. P. Putnam / Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group (USA), New York, New York.
Today, resides at Peyton, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, writing books, and breeding, raising and developing registered American Quarter Horses for professional rodeo and futurity competition.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 10, 2017
Book expired on overdrive before I finished reading but was enjoying it.
May 1, 2020
This narrative is compelling. It details the events leading to the evacuation of the US Embassy in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on April 30, 1975. It is extremely well-written and, at least for me, it was hard to put down.
Charles Henderson's research was thorough. He interviewed a significant number of people, including American and both North and South Vietnamese military personnel as well as officials in government leadership from all three countries. He also interviewed a number of journalists and included their stories in this narrative. In my estimation it provided a pretty good picture of what was happening at the time.
One observation I made in reading other reviews of this book is criticism of the author's reliance on the narrative from the Vietnamese perspective. As far as I'm concerned, it was appropriate; this story was detailing what was happening with the Vietnamese people more than with the Americans in Vietnam. It was their country that was at stake, not the United States. By 1975 American political leadership had already written Southeast Asia off as a lost cause. It's fitting that the story told was about the people directly involved and affected by the outcome.
Part of my interest in this story is personal. One of the Marines the author includes in this memoir, Sergeant Terry Bennington, was a Staff Sergeant and one of the Senior Drill Instructors in the series I was assigned to at MCRD Parris Island, SC, in 1980. He was not directly involved in training me as he wasn't my Senior Drill Instructor, but I remember him just the same. He was reputed to be both tough and fair. He also struck me as being intelligent and perceptive, and he seemed to be vigilant when it came down to the well-being and, ultimately, the success of his recruits in their learning what he needed to teach them. But I got that from my own Senior Drill Instructor as well, and I never forgot. I was fortunate to be trained by Marines who had the best interests of their recruits in mind when they did their job.
Terry Bennington, incidentally, retired from the Marine Corps in 1993 as a Sergeant Major.
Charles Henderson's research was thorough. He interviewed a significant number of people, including American and both North and South Vietnamese military personnel as well as officials in government leadership from all three countries. He also interviewed a number of journalists and included their stories in this narrative. In my estimation it provided a pretty good picture of what was happening at the time.
One observation I made in reading other reviews of this book is criticism of the author's reliance on the narrative from the Vietnamese perspective. As far as I'm concerned, it was appropriate; this story was detailing what was happening with the Vietnamese people more than with the Americans in Vietnam. It was their country that was at stake, not the United States. By 1975 American political leadership had already written Southeast Asia off as a lost cause. It's fitting that the story told was about the people directly involved and affected by the outcome.
Part of my interest in this story is personal. One of the Marines the author includes in this memoir, Sergeant Terry Bennington, was a Staff Sergeant and one of the Senior Drill Instructors in the series I was assigned to at MCRD Parris Island, SC, in 1980. He was not directly involved in training me as he wasn't my Senior Drill Instructor, but I remember him just the same. He was reputed to be both tough and fair. He also struck me as being intelligent and perceptive, and he seemed to be vigilant when it came down to the well-being and, ultimately, the success of his recruits in their learning what he needed to teach them. But I got that from my own Senior Drill Instructor as well, and I never forgot. I was fortunate to be trained by Marines who had the best interests of their recruits in mind when they did their job.
Terry Bennington, incidentally, retired from the Marine Corps in 1993 as a Sergeant Major.
June 26, 2012
A very good book. It shows what happened in those last days and the bravery of some & the cowardice of others. You will not be disappointed in this book, But I think it relies too much on the NVA & Viet Cong and what they did. It almost seems that you don't get a real good look at the Marines & their deeds til halfway thru the book. I did like it when they threw in civilians & reporters and what they saw & went through.
March 12, 2012
Marine Charles Henderson performed extensive documented research into his book “Goodnight Saigon”. The lengthy Vietnam War was full of harrowing difficult times and America’s final day of exit would be no different. There would be no easy departure and for most civilians there simply was no way out. Through it all the Marines performed once again. It’s a very interesting piece of history.
October 26, 2014
Based on intensive research and interviews, the author tells of the end of America's Vietnam War in a dramatic manner centering on the US Marines . What is missing is the abuse and distain shown to returning military population by most Americans.
June 3, 2013
Well researched...gives both perspectives.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews