On April 30, 1975, Sandy Gall was one of the few Western journalists to stay in Saigon to witness the South Vietnamese capital's fall to the forces of the Communist North. In previous days, chaotic scenes at the American embassy had provided the most iconic images of this final act of the Vietnam War. Thousands of locals who had reason to fear the victors begged and fought to be allowed aboard the last U.S. helicopters taking a lucky few from the embassy roof to navy vessels lying offshore. That morning Gall, later ITN's distinguished newscaster, entered the by now abandoned and looted compound and climbed to the helipad on the roof.