Steve Womack: “50 years ago today, the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, fell to advancing North Vietnamese forces. The collapse of the…”

“50 years ago today, the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, fell to advancing North Vietnamese forces. The collapse of the anti-Communist South Vietnamese Government marked both the end of a decades-long conflict and the beginning of a painful chapter for millions of South Vietnamese people. As the North Vietnamese Army launched its final offensive into Saigon, fear and uncertainty gripped the city. For countless South Vietnamese, the Fall of Saigon was not only the loss of their capital, but it was the loss of their country, their dreams, and, for many, their safety. Having allied with and supported the United States in the fight for a free republic, they now faced the terrifying prospect of persecution or worse. Among the individuals was a young boy named Phi Nguyen, whose story I have the privilege of sharing with you today, Mr. Speaker. Phi is the second-born child of parents Dung Nguyen and Diem Le Do. Notably, his father worked as a newspaper cartoonist whose art illustrated the complex political dynamics in Vietnam during the war, which is preserved in the Library of Congress today. In the final days of April 1975, Phi was 8. His older sister, Mien, was 10, and his younger brother, Thuc, was just 6. With the fate of Saigon hanging in the balance on April 28, 1975, Phi's family raced to Tan Son Nhut Air Base for a chance to escape. This would not be an easy task.…”