Fifty years ago today, on May 7, 1975 (March 26, 1975 in the lunar calendar), U.S. President Ford announced that he would stop supporting the Vietnam War. The rescue ship Coral Sea was on voyage May 7, 1975. President Ford signed a proclamation to end wartime veterans 'benefits, effectively declaring the end of the Vietnam War. "The United States is no longer at war." The president declared the end of the "Vietnam era" in a statement. The announcement came two years after the United States withdrew combat troops and a week after the Communists captured Saigon. Earlier, the Defense Department ordered the withdrawal of U.S. Navy ships that were rescuing refugees fleeing South Vietnam by boat. The House rejected a bill to allocate $327 million to aid Vietnam refugees and use ground troops to help evacuate. President Ford was "extremely angry" that so many people opposed the resettlement of 130,000 Vietnam refugees.