text: It has been 40 years since the historic evacuation of the of Saigon as the North Vietnamese army descended upon the city, and among the many stories of heroism and bravery is that of a father who piloted a military helicopter to fly his family to safety. Ba Van Nguyen was able to fly a CH-47 Chinook, the largest helicopter in the South Vietnamese army, with his three young children and wife out of the city and into the South China Sea where they were all ultimately saved by the USS Kirk. This after Nguyen somehow managed to pilot the helicopter while getting out of his flight suit and jumping into the ocean just seconds before it crashed - all on his own. Scroll down for videos . Histo4ric: Ba Van Nguyen piloted a military helicopter (above) on his own to save his family during the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 . Saved: He flew towards the USS Kirk which was too small to allow the helicopter to land, and so he hoovered over as his family (daughter circled in red) safely jumped out . Helping hand: Sailors on the ship caught the family (above) as they jumped out . In an interview with CNN, some members of the family are revealing what happened on that historic day, and their lives in the years after. They were also part of the PBS special, The Last Days of Vietnam. On April 29, 1975, Nguyen moved his family to his mother-in-law's house, telling them he would be back the next day in the Chinook, and that they would hear him coming when he was close. 'If you hear a Chinook coming, get ready,' Nguyen told his wife. When he arrived later that morning, his family and a few friends got on - as gunfire from the communist forces grew louder and louder as they came closer to the city - and flew out towards the water. Shortly after however, they realized they were running low on fuel, and that is when Nguyen reached out to the Kirk asking for permission to land. 'I must land or crash into the sea,' Nguyen said. 'Please help us.' Bravery: Nguyen then flew back out to sea (above) and jumped from the helicopter . Safe: He managed to avoid the large amounts of shrapnel (above) when the plan crashed . Heading back: A motorboat soon grabbed him from the sea (above) as he wore just a shirt and his boxers . The Kirk however was not large enough to withstand the force of such a large helicopter, which would likely sink the ship and cause the death of everyone onboard. And so it was decided that Nguyen would at least try and save his family. He hoovered over the ship as every passenger jumped onto the deck and were caught by sailors, including his wife and three young children. That is when he went back out to sea and managed to do the impossible and somehow pilot alone, get out of his suit and jump into the water seconds before the helicopter crashed and sent shrapnel flying everywhere. Seconds later, he appeared in the water, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and a shirt. Hos one possession, some gold he had in his pocket, had fell out and sunk in the South China Sea. 'We couldn't figure out how he did it; he was a Houdini,' said Hugh Doyle, the chief engineering officer. A motorboat was sent out to retrieve him, and moments later he was reunited with his family. The Nguyen family would be part of the 30,000 South Vietnamese refugees ultimately rescued by the Kirk. 'It was a happy ending to a shi**y war,' said Kent Chipman, one of the sailors on the Kirk. Unbelievable: Nguyen somehow managed to operate the plane and it's intricate system (above) alone after everyone jumped . Over: 'It was a happy ending to a shi**y war,' said Kent Chipman, one of the sailors on the Kirk of Nguyen's (above) feat . That was just the beginning for Nguyen though, who now had to start over in America and try to support his family. He did not know the language and he had no money, but he was able to eventually land a job as a technician at Boeing in Seattle. According to his children he was strict, but also self-sufficient and proud, getting the family off government assistance after just a few months and encouraging hard work above all else. 'Your mother and I came to the United States with nothing but my drawers,' he would tell his children. 'Look at where we are today. We are not wealthy. But we are not poor.' He was reunited with the crew from the USS Kirk in 2009, finally revealing his identity after keeping it secret for years, and awarded an air medal for bravery. 'He was staring at me and I was staring at him. He knew and I just knew,' said Chipman of the emotional reunion, this despite the fact that Nguyen was already in the throes of Alzheimer's. It was then that his children were able to see just what their father had accomplished as footage of the day was shared by some of the men who had filmed the incident. Then, three years later, following a remarkable life, Nguyen passed away. He was 73-years-old.
target: Ba Van Nguyen piloted a military helicopter on his own to save his family during the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975 .
  Nguyen flew the helicopter to the South China Sea, but had to evacuate everyone when fuel ran low .
  He flew towards the USS Kirk which was too small to allow the helicopter to land, and so he hoovered over as his family safely jumped out .
  He then flew back out to sea and jumped from the helicopter seconds before it crashed into the sea .
  He survived the crash and was reunited with his family onboard .
  He kept his identity a secret until a 2009 ceremony commemorating the event .