 Khánh and a group of younger officers called the Young Turks — led by chief of the Vietnam Air Force , Air Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ , commander of I Corps General Nguyễn <unk> Thi and IV Corps commander Thiệu — wanted to forcibly retire officers with more than 25 years of service , as they thought them to be <unk> and ineffective , but most importantly , rivals for power . Most of the older officers had more experience under the Vietnamese National Army during the French colonial era , and some of the younger men saw them as too detached from the modern situation . The Young Turks had quite a lot of influence over Khánh , as Thi and Kỳ had intervened militarily to save him from a coup attempt in September by Generals <unk> Văn <unk> and Dương Văn <unk> . 
