We were not allowed to wear uniforms when on the ground in Laos and as you can see we really blended in with the locals.
I found myself assigned to the 56th Air Commando Wing stationed at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in the extreme northwest corner of Thailand, very near the Mekong River. Our aircraft were all props, A-26’s, T-28’s, A-1’s as well as C-123, C-47 and a handful of others. Being at NKP as we called it, was like being in a time warp. The runway was PSP (metal mesh). All those prop aircraft and being in an isolated location, it was a secret base.
The US was reacting to an agreement signed 1962 that did not allow any ground forces into Laos. But by 1966 no one was honoring their pledges. The North Vietnamese used Laos as a supply line for Hanoi to South Vietnam. The USAF was assigned to stop those supplies and to back up the Hmong army that had been recruited by the CIA.
The 56th Air Commando Wing was created in 1966 and led by Colonel (later General) Harry C Aderholt who was known as Air Commando One. Ours was a slapdash outfit and in spite of the lack of support from 7AF and the political interference from Washington, DC and the embassy in Laos, we were effective in at least slowing down the supplies. Our old war bird interdiction aircraft were more effective than the modern jets.
With General Vang Pao, head of the Hmong Special Operational Guerrillas in Laos
Since 1975 I have been working with Hmong refugees that had to flee their homeland when we abandoned them there. Laos is the most bombed country per capita, ever. Some 80 million unexploded ordinances remain in the country and those UXOs have killed 20 + thousand since the end of the war.
I have also worked to get proper recognition for the units that fought and the men who died in the “Secret War.” It wasn’t until 1995 that the Pentagon began to release some information about our involvement in Laos. Many people like myself couldn’t even obtain some records because they were kept in vaults due to their classification.
There are incredible stories from the troops that served in this area. The Thailand/Laos/Cambodia Brotherhood tries to gather stories from those who served and Joshua Kurlantzick’s newly published book “A Great Place to Have a War” is an excellent examination of the war in Laos.
For me, the result was being finally diagnosed with PTSD and carrying the horrors around for 30 years. I am finally able to manage my guilt, anger, and grief (the GAG effect) but only after three unsuccessful marriages and a few other rabbit holes.
Now I want all the people who may have been affected by that secret war to be recognized and to make certain they are getting the assistance they have earned. Like exposure to Agent Orange, for years the bases in Thailand were not considered, even though we spread tons of the stuff all along the trail.
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base about 1967