Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:08 | Following the evacuation of Saigon, Dan Spahn was on the USS Coral Sea when the big ship executed a rare U-turn. They were responding to the boarding of the SS Mayaguez, a merchant vessel, by the Khmer Rouge.
Keywords : Dan Spahn Vietnam aviation electronics technician Perth Australia SS Mayaguez Khmer Rouge USS Coral Sea (CV-43) Koh Tang
After responding to the Mayaguez Incident, the USS Coral Sea finished its visit to Australia for a commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Dan Spahn fondly recalls that visit and, when he returned stateside, he managed to secure shore duty for the remainder of his enlistment. His electronics training served him well in his post-military career.
Dan Spahn graduated from high school on Friday and left for Navy boot camp on Monday. Unlike so many others at the time, his goal was to serve in Vietnam. He became an electronics technician and joined a spacial squadron that supplied and manned the radar control aircraft that managed air traffic from a carrier.
