Epilogue Summary

Ten years and one month later, Caputo is back in Vietnam, this time as a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. As rumors of the end of the war circle the globe, he feels an overwhelming need to see the conclusion of a decade of the horrors he had witnessed in service. Amidst North Vietnamese air raids, shellings, and missile fire, thousands of people seek to escape from the ensuing surrender of the South Vietnamese and its allies.

When the Americans are given the order to evacuate, Caputo watches in numb horror as the plane ahead of his is shot down. His helicopter, however, clears the field with no time to spare. He, along with other correspondents, soldiers, and officials, glide over the South China Sea where a helicopter assault ship greets them with a safe landing and a hot meal. Saigon falls shortly...