In March 1975, the NVA launched their final campaign and swept through the Central Highlands. The SVN general in command of the Highlands fled and his 100,000 troops followed in panic-stricken, marauding bands. As the cowards retreated south, they pillaged Montagnard villages, raping women and murdering many civilians.

At a U.S. embassy meeting on April 4, 1975 U.S. State Department officials promised to support the Montagnard tribes if they would wage guerrilla attacks in the NVA rear areas in the Central Highlands, critical for control of South Vietnam. A small army of approximately 10,000 Montagnards, primarily of the FULRO movement volunteered. Many were combat veterans with long tenures of USSF service. Large quantities of arms, ammunition, and radios were supplied and they began operations against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

Meanwhile our war weary politicians in Washington reneged. The promised logistical lifeline for the Montagnard guerrilla army was never implemented. Following SVN's surrender, we deserted our most dedicated ally of the Vietnam War.

Already committed, the guerrillas fought against overwhelming odds. With only pockets of SVN resistance elsewhere in the country, the NVA generals massed their forces in the Central Highlands to wipe them out. To have them hunted and betrayed throughout Indochina, the Vietnamese paid a $400 reward in gold for each captured guerrilla. The Montagnard freedom fighters became known as "Gold Heads" and the reward would stand until the early nineties.

By 1977 the Yard guerrillas had suffered huge combat losses. Casualties from diseases were mounting, ammunition was low, and food remained scarce. There were no places to hide large units confining the guerrillas to the jungles in small groups. The communists began raiding their lightly defended villages, killing and arresting suspected guerrilla families. Many were imprisoned, tortured and starved to death while others were sent to "reeducation" camps for years.

These tactics and diminishing hopes for U.S. assistance caused many guerrillas to leave the jungles and quit fighting. The severity of the situation in 1977 forced two courses of action on the guerrilla leadership: (1) to conserve their fighting force, they must withdraw from the Highlands into Cambodia; (2) to protect their noncombatants and find U.S. support for their guerrillas, the political leadership and families must go to Thailand.

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