chapter 144 K

12/7/2014

Khe Sanh and beyond

air drops, ethnics, and ethics

The siege of Khe Sanh near the DMZ Tet Offensive 1968 was a nearly three month mortar barraging ordeal. Trying to minimize the details and extensive links this time. Photographer Robert Witowski apparently got to this important site also to shoot the C-123 air drops when landing was nearly impossible. His 600th Photo Squad produced a USAF Video linked at bottom.

Witowski seemed to get all around Southeast Asia and got to several of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, as well as villages in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. These headdresses appear similar to those of the Hmong mountain people of Laos although this could be a Montagnard village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. While it looks beautiful and idyllic, there is a very dark side to our use of these indigenous people as mercenaries to fight our war not to mention a large number of civilian casualties and abandonment of them after the war.

Bob Witowski's brethren of the 600th Photo Squad are shooting 16mm video here. From the next photo street sign I'd guess this was a small village somewhere near to the administrative capital Vientiane, Laos. Did this footage end up in public relations films? Hmong soldiers were as young as 10 years old.

The wet street, the exposure and the road sign seems to tie these two photos together with the making of the video.

The American Medic in Witowski's color photo above looks like but may not be the same Medic in black and white (insert). That scene is at the 23 minute mark of this dramatic must see documentary movie of a sordid chapter in American History, The Most Secret Place on Earth . Were we well meaning? Presumably so; good soldiers simply follow orders and it is complicated. I expect there is a general world consensus that overall we were quite detrimental to the Hmong community who were significantly decimated upon our withdrawal. The Hmong are still persecuted and suffering today. There are over a hundred deaths per year just from the unexploded ordinance as we dropped more bombs in Laos than were dropped in Germany and Japan combined in WW2.

The B&W scene is from the CIA built San Sook Hospital at one of the secret airbases in Laos - Lima Site 20 at Ban Sam Throng. We had and still do give humanitarian aid to Laos. The CIA used this as a cover story from within which to conduct covert operations to further american policy. Air America was the CIA airline operation hiding in plain sight. Our advisors would deliver rice for the poor and "hard rice" meaning "ammunitions" to support the 60,000 secret Hmong warriors that General Vang Pao used to conduct our war against the communists. Vang moved to California where the U.S. charged him with terrorism (link below). The CIA would use whatever assets they could. The USAF was a major player and presumably the photo squad would create film footage to assist in the public relations effort.

Just prior to our deep expansion of the war in 1964, our President LBJ and Secretary of Defense McNamara insisted, "We wish to emphasize that we seek no wider war." About the same time Bob Dylan was singing "We are just pawns in their game." McNamara later recanted, Dylan never did. Just saying.

I believe I flew in that same C-123 cargo plane used for Khe Sanh in the top photo. From Fort Gordon's Bush Field I had a 30 day leave of absence (per year) and flew to Syracuse's Hancock Air Base in 1969. Servicemen could use the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) for free. You'd just check the schedule a day or week prior to see if something was going to your destination and sign up. I think I recall entering the plane thru the large rear cargo hatch. It was cavernous all crude aluminum and rivets, no carpets or stewardess. Think we sat sideways with maybe the 5 point hitch straps, just a few GI's with some sort of cargo machines or something. Getting vague, might have been the C130. I recall the vibration and noise of the props and Dad being impressed at pickup.

The nose wheel pictured just above is a smaller personnel carrier Convair C-131A Samaritan of the same transport service. The markings shown are for the 375th AAW Aeromedical Airlift Wing from their headquarters in Scott Air Base Illinois. It was their prime mission of air shuttle and courier service (MATS) serving the east and west coast. They moved large numbers Vietnam Vets and wounded during those years. In Operation Homecoming they brought home hundreds of POW's in 1973 as part of their aeromedical transport service.

Documentation links for this chapter

brief USAF thumbnail about Khe Sanh here

USAF Khe Sanh Video longer Khe Sanh video version

Hmong of Laos

Montagnard village

collaboration, VC atrocities, betrayal, etc

600th Photo Squad

The Most Secret Place on Earth documentary movie **

Philip Blenkinsop Hmong photos

Congressional Research Laos **

Air America U Texas *

Air America in Laos I U Texas **