Charles McMahon and Darwin Lee Judge, the last Marines to die in Vietnam, April 29, 1975. At 4:00 am on April 29, 1975 two young Marines died in a rocket attack on the Tan Son Nhut air base in Saigon.



Those men, 21 year old Cpl. Charles McMahon and 19 year old LCpl. Darwin Lee Judge died instantly when an enemy rocket made a direct hit on a Guardpost outside the Defense Attaché Office Compound where they were assigned to provide security during the evacuation of Saigon in the final hours before operation Frequent Wind.

The two Marines had been in country only a week. Cpl. McMahon and LCpl. Judge were assigned to the Marine security detail at the U.S. Embassy and if they had been on duty there on April 29th — 30th despite the chaos that enveloped the Embassy compound during the final hours of the evacuation, they would have evacuated by helicopter from the embassy rooftop along with the rest of the Marine security detail and in all likelihood would have survived their brief tour of duty.

However, because of their youth and inexperience, their commanding officers assigned McMahon and Judge to the airport security detail because they believed the young Marines would be safer there. Such is fate in war. Saigon fell the next day on April 30th, bringing an end of sorts to a long running tragedy.

Judge volunteered and joined the Marines during in his senior year in high school, knowing full well that he would be sent to Vietnam. After graduating at the top of his class in boot camp, Judge was assigned to the Embassy Security detail in Saigon, an honor reserved for Marines judged to be the most proficient and capable, the very best of the best. In his short time in Vietnam, Judge made a difference in the lives of at least one family. He is remembered by fellow Marine Doug Potratz for his help in evacuating Potratz’s three-year-old step daughter Becky. Potratz had difficulty getting her on a plane out of Saigon, and succeeded only when Judge intervened. “He picked her up, put her on his back, piggyback style, and quick as a bunny ran, ran out to the plane and put her on the plane,” Potratz said.