The True Story Of A Secret War In Laos - Vietnam - The Ravens

Mr. Robbins explains a lot that I didn't understand as I went through the madness of Vietnam, first from the safety of my living room, then the uncomfortable waiting at Ft. Bragg as Saigon fell. To know that some men had the convictions to fight the war on their terms instead of the politics and bureaucracy makes me wish I could have known him and his fellow airmen. Thank you, sir, for your service.

Very good reading about a subject that most people don't even knew happened,myself included. The dedication these men had to the people of Laos and against overwhelming odds.Sometimes it get' s a little confusing jumping around from one year to another!Dan H

Interesting book from a number of aspects.

It is, of course, a story of US pilots freed from the strictures of the AIr Force in Vietnam to perform acts of incredible bravery and and daring. But it also about the history of Laos and the CIA-led War there against the Pathet Lao and the North Vietnamese.

Its a well-written book that I have recommended to others, I have ordered copies for my friends who are either interested in aviation and history.

A must-read for those interested in the Vietnam war and its ancillary conflicts. I know one of the protagonists in this story, and am honored to call him a colleague. Too much credit is yet given to traitors such as card-carrying communist Walter Cronkite, who turned American public opinion against the war by deliberately misreporting the Tet offensive, and John Kerry, now secretary of state, who betrayed his comrades and fellow servicemen and conspired with the North Vietnamese to undermine the American negotiations. On the other hand, too little credit is given to the brave men who fought in this merciless and strategically misconceived political war, and who made victory possible, only to see it snatched away by dishonest journalists and lying deceitful politicians such as Lyndon Baines Johnson and Robert S. McNamara and the rest of this cast of scoundrels. Both David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest (1971) and H.R. McMaster's Dereliction of Duty (1996) give the details of this travesty.

An outstanding insight into a very unique group of aviators who fought the invisible war in Laos. This is the real unwritten story of the FAC (forward air controller) mission in Southeast Asia. It profiles many of these aviators and reveals their amazing dedication and perseverance under very challenging battles.

While this book has been very interesting it is long and verbose. So many details about each individual that you lose interest after awhile. Otherwise it details very accurately the individuals who were the unsung heroes of the Vietnam Conflict.

Our country's policies were so ridiculous. The author talks about his life during the war, and you begin to see why we lost the war. I am glad the author wrote this book because there were many things I was not aware of. He is certainly a hero and his book is important.

A gripping tale of volunteer pilots that flew obsolete planes in an effort to to stop the North Vietnamese war against Laos. A must read for anyone that wants to learn more about the secret war the U.S. fought in Laos as part of the effort to win the war in Vietnam.

the author occasionally wanders off into the US politics of who lied about what to whom, not augueing with the assertions but I really wanted to hear the ravens stories. I admit I kept rooting for them, 2/3rds through I had to remind myself I did already know how it turned out and had to lower my expectations.

This was an excellent read. I was in Vietnam Nam and although knew there were "things" going on that nobody was supposed to know about, this book really puts a face on the operations and how effective we could have been if the politicians kept out of the way. Put this on your recommended reading list.

An insightful look into an aspect of the conflict in Southeast Asia that most Americans know nothing about. It gives long overdue credit to a small band of very brave and capable individuals who went above and beyond on a daily basis. Finally it shows that the dismal American trait of abandoning those who have helped us in a fight isn’t any thing recent and indeed goes back to the Vietnam conflict and beyond.

What a fantastic book. My reaction was been there done that as I read each paragraph. I was in Sea from Sept 1968 thru June 1970 as a C-130 mechanic then. Back again Sept 71 to Sept 72 as an F-4 mechanic so I could identify with the whole book.

Excellent information and explanation of people and events. As the wife of an instrument troop who worked the 56 SOW T28's in the early 70's, I gained even more insight into and respect for our brave airmen, ground troops, and their Lao counterparts. So sad "we" had such pathetic leadership! Great book!

This book of quite readable. The author has done quite a lot of research into the subject of the book. The outset and well into the content of the book the subject matter can be quite rivetting however I found that when approaching the end of the novel it became somewhat of an effort to read it

This is by far the most accurate and detailed book I have read on the very under reported war in Laos. The details on the extensive behind the scenes battle for and the eventual loss of "neutral" Laos is compelling and disturbing reading. If you are a military or history buff, you will enjoy this read.

I enjoyed the book. It was very disturbing for me as a sufferer of PTSd from my 38 years in an Air Force and Civilian CFR career
Just goes to show that politicians will do what they want to do and follow a seemingly destructive agenda regardless of consequences not taking into account the actually of the people on the ground. I can fully understand the life time effect the events have had on those guys. I personally thank them for their generally unrecognized efforts.

Superb detailed account of the recently unclassified Secret War in Laos. After reading this book, I have the utmost respect for all the Air Force Foward Air Controllers (FACs) who served in this secret war.

Written as though you were actually there making those flights! The book kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read them! A definite must for those who couldn't be there and wished you were! Tate

A very detailed account of the secret war in Laos. A little sluggish at times but overall a very good read. If you are interested in learning more about the Viet Nam era then you will enjoy this book very much.

This great book captures the essence of one of the secret wars we were fighting during the Viet Nam War,and it mentions a couple of others. It shows the tremendous bravery and willingness to sacrifice all among this group of warriors. KNowing some of the Ravens and what they have done allows me to say this is true story and not embellished very much.
What makes me sick are the lies and misstruths passed to the American People by our government; when the facts started coming out in 1970, we had bald-faced lying by members of both of our political parties. We see lying by our government yet today--What happened to INTEGRITY among our elected representatives??
I had extremely fast service by the store on this book and the many others I have ordered from the store.
Jim

This book is a comprehensive account of a group of gutsy pilots facing death every time they flew the spotter planes. This account will be news to most readers. I personally know a pilot principal in this book. He fits the theme accurately.

As a former Vietnam Vet and someone who thought he knew quite a bit about the war and the plight of the Hmong, this book showed me how much I didn't know. A very sobering book about some very brave warriors.

This a really incisive account of the secret war in Laos and the mindsets of the Special Forces Ravens who served in that endeavor. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys well-written non-fiction war accounts!