C004339

Round shaped coin, pewter in color, 1 3/64 inches in diameter.

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Journal - Page 95 - Line 13

The USS Kirk (FF-1806) was a Knox-class destroyer escort commissioned on 9 September 1972. In April 1975, the USS Kirk participated in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam. As part of the evacuation of South Vietnam, the USS Kirk carried out one of the most significant humanitarian missions in US military history. Under the direction of a civilian, Richard Armitage, the Kirk rescued the South Vietnamese Navy, and along with it, around 30,000 thousand Vietnamese refugees, and led them to the Phillippines. From there, most of the refugees ultimately emigrated into the United States. In 2010, under the direction of Vice Admiral Adam Robinson, former Surgeon General of the US Navy, the Navy created a documentary entitled "The Lucky Few." It has since been translated into Vietnamese as well. The Kirk served in the US Navy until 6 August 1993 when it was decommissioned and leased to the Republic of China in Taiwan. On 29 September 1999, the ship was finally sold to Taiwan.