Word: laotians
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...fleet of C-475 lumbered over a mountain valley 90 miles north of Vientiane one day last week. U.S. jumpmasters gave the order, and 200 Laotian army paratroopers leaped out with a whoop. Ten U.S. Marine Corps helicopters landed in the valley bearing another 200 soldiers. They were the pick of the Royal Army and. hopefully, could stop any new Communist advance and stabilize the battle lines for the expected ceasefire. As the lines stood, the Pathet Lao held three provinces, and the government had at least partial control of the other nine...
Five hundred U.S. Marines unpacked their gear at Udon in northeastern Thailand, just 45 miles southwest of Vientiane across the Mekong River. They were equipped with 16 helicopters, ready to help fly men and supplies to the fighting front when and if they were ordered into action. In the Laotian capital of Vientiane, the only four helicopters on duty were pocked with bullet holes, and their U.S. civilian pilots, flying under contract to the Laotian government, were badly overworked. Said one, who had spent weeks darting through thunderstorms and skirting mountain peaks and groundfire from the Communist Pathet...
...wherever a royal army contingent could be spotted through the clouds. Luck ran out for one U.S. embassy C-47 on an observation mission, which ran into a hail of ground fire and crashed. The U.S. gave seven crew members up for dead, the first U.S. casualties of the Laotian war. The only survivor-an Army major-was reported a prisoner of the Communists...
...Prince Souvanna may just possibly be the perfect expression of Laos' national Geist. As Premier from 1956 to 1958, Souvanna tried to make a deal with the Pathet Lao, which happens to be headed by his half brother, Red Prince Souphanouvong. Souvanna's view is simple: no Laotian could possibly be a Communist, least of all his brother. When bouncy little Captain Kong Le and his paratroopers staged an exasperated and successful revolt last August against the current pro-Western Laotian government, he installed Souvanna as Premier as the Laotian who most deeply believed that Laotians should...
Souvanna has done better in exile than most Laotian premiers have done in power. The Russians (and the Pathet Lao) still recognize him as the "legitimate" government of Laos-despite the fact that a majority of the Laotian legislature approved the installation of Prince Boun Oum as General Phoumi's candidate for Premier. Unofficially, the British, French and Indians have let it be known that they consider Souvanna the best of all possible Laotians. Two weeks ago, Souvanna took off on a junket to seek support in the world's capitals...