The Vietnam War came to an end on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The fall of the city marked the end of the South Vietnamese government and decades of conflict.

The North Vietnamese came south in a wave. It was unbelievable how quickly things happened," recalled Maj. James Kean, an American embassy Marine commander who was present at the fall of Saigon.

Millions of U.S. troops fought in Vietnam. For some Americans, the war that effectively ended with the fall of Saigon 50 years ago Wednesday on April 30, 1975, continues to shape their lives.