The Last Battle: The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War

On May 12, 1975, just days after the American Embassy in Saigon was evacuated, Khmer Rouge forces seized the SS Mayaguez. Three days later, President Ford launched a military raid to rescue the crew of the merchant ship. But as the attack began on Koh Tang Island, the hostages were being released from an entirely different location. Incomplete intelligence reports had unwittingly sent the marines into a bloodbath. In the ensuing chaos many soldiers died, and three machine gunners were mistakenly left behind as they steadfastly defended the American retreat.

In this remarkable book, journalist and Vietnam veteran Ralph Wetterhahn recreates the story of the Mayaguez incident and poignantly reveals, for the first time, the harrowing fate of the three young marines who were forgotten by their comrades, indeed by their country. The Last Battle is a riveting narrative of combat, courage, and governmental blunders that serves as a metaphor for the entire Vietnam War.