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Marine COL Gerry Berry
Episode 3046 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about retired Marine COL Gerry Berry explaining how he ended the Vietnam War. The featured story appeared on WHO Channel 13 in Des Moines and was titled: Iowa veteran credited with ending the Vietnam War 50 years ago shares his story. The story was submitted by Jannay Towne.
Colonel Gerry Berry, a highly decorated United States Marine Corps officer, emerged as a pivotal figure in one of the most divisive conflicts in American history — the Vietnam War.
After serving two brutal combat tours in Vietnam, Gerry Berry was no stranger to the realities of guerrilla warfare. He had earned a reputation for bravery, strategy, and unshakable loyalty to his men. But in 1975, as Saigon teetered on the brink of collapse, Berry’s most critical mission wasn’t on the battlefield — it was on a rooftop.
As a retired Marine Corps Colonel, Gerry Berry would often reflect on the day that defined his legacy — April 29, 1975. At the height of Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation in history, then Major Gerry Berry piloted the final CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter to land on the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. With chaos erupting below and North Vietnamese troops closing in, Berry made the split-second decision to load as many evacuees as possible, cramming desperate civilians, diplomats, and Marines into the aircraft.
The images of Berry’s helicopter lifting off that rooftop became a symbol of the war’s end — a haunting and heroic moment captured in history. But what few knew was that Berry had disobeyed a direct order to leave several civilians behind. His defiance saved dozens of lives and forced policymakers in Washington to acknowledge the urgency of a complete withdrawal.
In the aftermath, Berry’s actions drew both criticism and acclaim. While some viewed his insubordination as reckless, others hailed it as the moral compass that steered the U.S. out of a failing war. His heroism helped shift public perception and spurred Congress to accelerate efforts for a final exit strategy, effectively bringing America’s involvement in Vietnam to a close.
Though he humbly denies it, many historians credit Colonel Gerry Berry with playing a decisive role in ending the Vietnam War — not through firepower, but through courage, compassion, and the conviction to do what was right, even in the face of chaos.
Listen to Episode 3046 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Colonel Gerry Berry
