Cika wannan magana: A watan Mayu na 1975, jim kadan bayan faduwar Saigon da kuma Khmer Rouge da suka ci Kambodiya, 'yan Kambodiya sun kwace jirgin Amurka mai suna "Mayaguez" a cikin ruwan kasa da kasa, wanda ya haifar da abin da aka sani da
Lamarin Mayaguez. Ford ya aika da Marines don ceton ma'aikatan jirgin, amma Marines sun sauka a tsibirin da ba daidai ba kuma sun haɗu da tsayayyar tsayayya kamar yadda ba a sani ba a Amurka, ana sakin ma'aikatan jirgin ruwa na "Mayaguez". A cikin aikin, an harbe jirgin sama mai saukar ungulu na soja guda biyu da ke dauke da Sojojin Ruwa don aikin hari, kuma an kashe sojojin Amurka 41 da 50 da suka jikkata yayin da aka kashe kimanin sojojin Khmer Rouge 60. Duk da asarar da Amurka ta yi, aikin ceto ya tabbatar da cewa yana da amfani ga lambobin zaben Ford; Sanata Barry Goldwater ya bayyana cewa aikin "ya nuna cewa har yanzu muna da kwallaye a wannan kasar". Wasu masana tarihi sun yi jayayya cewa gwamnatin Ford ta ji bukatar amsawa da karfi ga lamarin saboda an fassara shi a matsayin makircin Soviet. Amma aikin Andrew Gawthorpe, wanda aka buga a shekara ta 2009, bisa la'akari da nazarin tattaunawar cikin gida na gwamnati, ya nuna cewa kungiyar tsaro ta kasa ta Ford ta fahimci cewa kama jirgin ruwa na gida ne, kuma watakila ma ba da gangan ba, ta hanyar tayar da hankalin gwamnatin Khmer. Duk da haka, sun ji bukatar amsawa da ƙarfi don hana ƙarin tayar da hankali daga wasu ƙasashen Kwaminisanci a Asiya.