Aerial Combat over Laos: U.S. Air Force Pilot Gene Hamner

U.S. Air Force Pilot Gene Hamner served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He was first assigned as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) with the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS), their call sign was NAIL, at Nakhon Phanom Thailand (NKP) with missions out over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Later he was accepted into the clandestine program the Ravens and was stationed at Luang Prabang, Laos, flying as a FAC in the secret war there. In this video Gene tells of his time as a Forward Air Controller both as a NAIL flying missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail and as a Raven pilot at Luang Prabang.
A knowledgeable pilot from the Vietnam war told me the bombs I identified as Paveway were actually High Drag, as Paveways were dropped singulalry as they were precision guided. Please note a Vietnam War U.S. AIr Force pilot who FAC'd Paveways did review my video prior to publication but apparently did not catch this. Thank you.
‪@CarterOnConflict‬

[@hmbobb21]

This war changed our lives forever! Thanks to all the parents, allies, and soldiers that put this life on the line. I’m a Hmong kids that was born in refugee camp Ban Vinai. Thank you!

[@CarterOnConflict]

God Bless you, thanks for sharing your story

[@leegossett7272]

Great segment Gene. Gene and I were former smokejumpers and served in Laos, I flew for Air America and Continental Air Service. The Ravens came to my aid twice and provided top cover while I made re-supply air drops to the Lao troops. I became friends with many Ravens over the years and they were the best of the best. Thanks Ravens.

[@GeneHamner]

Lee, Thanks for the comments. I have always appreciated the work Air America did in getting downed pilots out. For Ravens they were about the only hope of rescue. I know that there were helicopters flown by Lao and Hmong who were available and performed rescues also. Thanks to all. Gene Hamner Raven 12 Nail 68

[@CarterOnConflict]

You smokejumpers are the best!

[@WilliamSWhorton]

This is an incredible educational experience for me. I continue to learn more and more about how the Chinese operated in Laos and along the Ho Chi Minh Trails. I am also learning much more about the depth of DUTY and KNOWLEDGE required to work as a FAC. I used FACS frequently while fighting along the DMZ, A SHAU, KHE SANH, and the BA LONG VALLEY. Gene was utterly brilliant in his ability to explain the complexities of his duties and missions. I was blown away by his explanation of how smokejumping helped him to better understand terrain and how to use that knowledge. The photography was stunning. THANK YOU GENE AND PAUL!!!! From an old MARINE.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@WilliamSWhorton Bill - thank you so much Warrior for your watching and commenting. You, like Gene, are the best among the best!

[@GeneHamner]

@WilliamSWhorton Bill I have friends who were stationed at KHE SANH, all came back with injuries, both physical and mental. I have the utmost respect for those who fought along that part of Vietnam, and all of Vietnam in fact. But I've seen the results of the battles up in the northern part more often. Nail and Covey FACs who were tasked with stopping the invasion of S. Vietnam from across the DMZ near the end of the war had a heavy task trying to stop the NVA tanks. Apparently, the headshed at Blue Chip initially didn't believe the invasion was happening and the FACs were getting little of the help they needed. I was grateful to be a Raven where we could fight our war as we Ravens saw fit. It still wasn't enough at the end. My hat's off to all you Marines. Duty, Honor and Country.

[@GeneHamner]

@@CarterOnConflict and @WilliamSWhorton Thank you for the comments. They apply to all the Ravens. All were hand picked from among the many volunteers. Gene Raven 12

[@WilliamSWhorton]

@@GeneHamner Gene - It is impossible for me to put into words the respect I have for the Air Force FACS that supported me and my battalion in 11 months of fighting along the DMZ. I and many Vietnamese in our battalion owe our lives to their guts and competence and sense of duty. Thank you for a marvelously educational presentation. SEMPER FI FROM AN OLD MARINE!!!

[@trolllo9729]

You are doing very important work. Keep up the hard work 🇺🇸

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@trolllo9729 thank you for your encouragement - I appreciate it.

[@mmusser62]

Great reminder of the sacrifices during that time. Never foreget....

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@mmusser62 thank you sir.

[@falcon5215]

Talk about the fog of war!! Holy Cow...what brave men

[@armyman-ig7qs]

Thank you for this amazing content;and thank you for your service. My grandfather was in Vietnam 69-70 river rat.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@armyman-ig7qs thank you for watching and commenting

[@GeneHamner]

I had altitude and maneuverability to get away from ground fire. Those river rats only had luck. My hat's off to your grandfather.

[@TADAMS-zt4zz]

Great stuff, thank you Gene and Paul!

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@TADAMS-zt4zz Tim - thanks for all your assistance!

[@GeneHamner]

@TADAMS-zt4zz Tim Thank you for the comments Gene Hamner Raven 12

[@lllordllloyd]

I don't have much to add. Fascinating stuff, so well told, and the unique footage and photos are well appreciated. Your videos have certainly encouraged me to think and learn more about a war that... yes, I'm guilty... that I only saw as a sideshow. This was home and nation to some people. A life-defining episode for others.

[@CarterOnConflict]

Always I enjoy your thoughtful comments. Thank you for watching. Your last paragraph- poignant, well stated.

[@noonharvey4060]

Thanks you for tell Story

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@noonharvey4060 thank you sir! Appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@richardyoder3646]

Your videos are getting addictive keep em coming

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@richardyoder3646 I always enjoy hearing from you Richard - I’m glad you enjoy. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@laoadvtours3479]

Think I read some of these stories on the Ravens website. It's a great video 😊

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@laoadvtours3479 thank you Chris, for watching and commenting, and all the great work you do with US veterans in Laos.

[@nelsonhang274]

You guys and the Hmong pilots did great job. I listen to the Hmong pilots talked all the time. I was the ground force

[@CarterOnConflict]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@GeneHamner]

The Hmong, and Lao, pilots were amazing pilots. So many hours in the air made them excellent. Thanks for the comment. Gene Raven 12 (MR-1 LP)

[@paoyang7494]

Great job keeping it up ❤❤❤

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@paoyang7494 thank you sir.

[@samsuivang47]

Being a Hmong American, this segment gives me an angle of the war that little Hmong kids back in Laos during the war never had.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@samsuivang47 Sam, thank you for sharing that. I appreciate you watching and commenting. Have you seen this recent video of mine? General Vang Pao's Victory at Skyline Ridge kzbin.info/www/bejne/d167lXWrjtB2hbs

[@TouyThiravong]

Super Raven you are Lucky to be alive young man Super Gene

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@TouyThiravong indeed sir

[@GeneHamner]

I have often thought that I would rather be lucky than good. Thank you for your comments.

[@DohuuVi]

Talk about doing totally cool jobs and living in interesting times. I wish I can turn back the clock and return to that bygone era.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@DohuuVi I’m with you on this one :-)

[@TroyPudney]

I did a couple of years of bomb disposal around the Chokes on Route 911, especially the 'HUB" which is home to the biggest Copper and Gold mine in Laos. As part of the work I got access to USAF bombing data which we used to plan and do risk assessments. The amount of ordnance controlled by the FAC's was impressive. Using the data we were able to map the major and minor roads of the trail. On a side note to Mu Gia pass, the reason the NVA were able to reopen the roads so fast was the US bombing the big rocks into smaller rocks then into road base.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@TroyPudney wow, that’s some interesting insight Troy. Makes total sense. I really appreciate you sharing with all of us.

[@GeneHamner]

You're right. In fact as the war progressed some brilliant strategist at Blue Chip made the decision for FACs along the Trail to direct TAC Air (fighter-bombers) to bomb choke points in an attempt to make that part of the HCM Trail impassable. For the reasons you give above, that tactic didn't work. But it was slave labor that did the work. All those bombs could have been put to much better use other places. Several times I had troops in the open or trucks moving on the Trail and I called for TAC Air but was refused because a flight of four F-4s were fragged to bomb another sand pit. BTW, there are many natural resources being mined in Laos. The people are getting little of the money from that. Thanks for your insight. Gene Raven 12

[@TroyPudney]

@@GeneHamner Some of my older team leaders were young teenagers during the war. They told me of their side of the conflict and their hatred for the Viet occupiers. One recounted being forced at gunpoint to repair a section of road between Choke Point Charlie and Foxtrot after a bombing mission. While the soldiers stayed in bunkers they had to hope there were no missions overhead. While clearing a M117 750 Ib bomb under the main road a Viet logging truck came up to take someone to hospital. A log had rolled on him (was flattened), my team leader said "Mr Troy, that is what we call a good Vietnamese"! Some pretty deep hatred still lingers after all these years.

[@TroyPudney]

@@GeneHamner I had the pleasure of bumping into some Nail FACs while doing the UXO around Sepon. Was really interesting and Bill gave me some photos he took around Alpha. He was interested in the water colour changing from the normal brown in a crater to a aqua green in a few days. I showed the photo to one of our geologist and he said it was caused by copper sulphate over time. When Bill told him the short time, his eye lit up and wanted to know the location. I pointed out that the area had about twice the mission strikes in a smaller area than where we were currently mining. Put a dampener on his excitement. But I was able to incorporate his stories into my UXO safety lectures for the expats. Most expats think that it was an unregulated war, just dropping any bomb on anything. Once I was able to explain the jobs of the FAC's they gained a better understanding. I would have loved to have had access to some of the material that is now out in the open. Stay safe Gene and thank you for sharing you life. Even if I was Australian Navy EOD cleaning up your leftovers LOL

[@ChachiehYang]

General..! next time need to talk about how the pilot Lee lue do his job please.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@ChachiehYang I have a segment on Lee Leu in my Ravens II video. Thank you!

[@andersfant4997]

Interesting👍.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@andersfant4997 glad you enjoyed Anders!

[@VistaThaiGuy]

Spooky times...one minute you are in the cool blue/white clouds, and the next moment in deep green humidity with AAA.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@VistaThaiGuy well said :-)

[@GeneHamner]

You've got the insight correct. Cool Blue, Hot Green Gene Raven 12

[@sogsog111]

Gentleman, as a younger generation following the Lao war theater, I cannot comprehend during the secret war in Laos, why the US supplied the Laotian Air Force with the T-28 (WW2?), which was an easy prey for the Pathet Lao anti-aircraft gun or even the 12.7mm machine gun? Unlike the preceding Korean war where a more advanced jet aircraft was already deployed.

[@joejody7814]

"Low & slow" has its rewards. Imagine trying to do this circling low multitasking operation at 300mph. You'd be lost before you made your 2nd radio call. No GPS. No RNAV. Only paper maps your wits a compass and a prayer

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@sogsog111 the U.S. used the T-28 as well.

[@GeneHamner]

@sogsog111 Reply from JoeJody is correct, but also the T-28 was easier and less costly to maintain. 100 MPH tape could patch bullet holes faster than riveting patches. Gene Raven 12

[@georgej.dorner3262]

Actually, during the 18 months I spent at LP, the pilots were wishing they could upgrade to Skyraiders.

[@GeneHamner]

@Troypudney. Troy I’m traveling right now but I would very much like to continue this conversation with you. Stay tuned. I spent some time on the PDJ with Sousath Petrayas as my guide. Candelabras on his tables were disarmed CBU canisters etc. I have some great photos. Gene Raven 12. Mail 68

[@ahuakhangchannel4702]

🎉🎉❤

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@ahuakhangchannel4702 glad you liked!

[@ntauzaug9595]

The city Long Tieng should spell Long Cheng to pronounce the name closer to the real name.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@ntauzaug9595 thank you for watching and commenting.

[@hillsideteam3419]

I am living in Laos for 17 years now and your story is really interesting but you forgot to mention a few things. You forget to mention that Gene and his kind have killed thousands of innocent people and you have brought sorrow and misery to thousands and thousands more. You also forgot to mention that they made Laos is the 'most bombed country' in the world per capita ever, as a result of heavy aerial attacks - mind you, a country their government has not even declared war on (General LeMay: " we're going to bomb them back into stone age"). Not to speak about that even today, the whole country is still contaminated with unexploded ordenances and every year there are more casualties and mutilations. And what for? preventing communism? In this case you also forgot to mention that they totally failed, because Laos and Vietnam have become communist. Please don't get me wrong, he seems to be a nice man - and I appreciate the heroic stories- that's why I would have wished for a few words of regret and self-criticism and a bit more differentiation than just 'good guys' and 'bad guys'.

[@CarterOnConflict]

@@hillsideteam3419 watch my video What was the US Secret War in Laos and I cover all that you mention. That can’t be - should not be - repeated in every video just as I do not repeat in every video how the North Vietnamese violated the 1962 Geneva peace accords while the U.S. left, which ensured continued war. Nor do I mention in every video that the North Vietnamese began this with their first invasion of Laos in 1951. There is plenty of blame to go around and I cover it in the appropriate video. Thank you for commenting.

[@TADAMS-zt4zz]

@@CarterOnConflict Good reply Dr. Carter