The last Marine to leave Vietnam has died. Juan Valdez was 88.

"Working through the night, as a mob of desperate people pressed against the compound's gates and spilled over its walls, he had helped evacuate nearly 2,100 Americans and Vietnamese fleeing the collapse of South Vietnam. But after Ambassador Graham Martin was airlifted to safety with the embassy's American flag, the helicopter evacuation had been canceled - the result of a misunderstanding, as air staff didn't realize a group of Marines was still waiting to be picked up."

"When it landed, he nearly didn't make it on board. After telling his 10 fellow Marines to get on, and waiting to ensure they boarded safely, he slipped as he stepped onto the ramp. The helicopter began to take off as one of the Marines, Mike Sullivan, did a head count. They were one man short. 'I remember looking at the ramp, and two hands were over the top of it,' Sullivan recalled. Master Sgt. Valdez was yanked on board as the chopper departed."

"It was 7:58 a.m. on April 30, 1975, just a few hours before the North Vietnamese burst through the gates of the presidential palace, hoisted a Viet Cong flag and celebrated the end of a war that had lasted 20 years, costing the lives of more than 58,000 Americans and untold Vietnamese."

During the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Master Sergeant Juan Valdez and approximately 10 fellow Marines worked through the night evacuating nearly 2,100 Americans and Vietnamese from the U.S. Embassy compound as North Vietnamese forces advanced. After Ambassador Graham Martin was airlifted with the embassy flag, helicopter evacuations were canceled due to a miscommunication, leaving the Marines stranded. When the final helicopter arrived, Valdez ensured all his men boarded safely before attempting to board himself. He slipped on the ramp as the helicopter began takeoff, but was pulled aboard by Marine Mike Sullivan during a head count. Valdez became the last Marine to leave Vietnam, dying in Tucson at age 88, remembered by those he served as a dedicated leader who prioritized his troops' safety.

Read at The Washington Post