Ambush at Tan Chau

In 1973 following the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces, Amb. Quinn describes how he and another civilian officer came under intense North Vietnamese Army fire while escorting a U.S. commercial ammunition barge up the Mekong River. The North Vietnamese force, which was hidden in an abandoned, grounded freighter, opened fire on the tugboat and barge. Being directly in the line of fire, Amb. Quinn’s boat headed to the opposite shore where he dove for cover into the sand. The loss of radio contact led to concern at the U.S. Consulate General headquarters amid reports that “Quinn is missing.”