Company Business - Laos '70 - '75

[@ProfessorSnitch]

Fun fact: An Air America UH-1 Huey helicopter made history when it took part in the only known case of a helicopter shooting down a biplane - in this case, the victim was a North Vietnamese An-2 "Colt" aircraft. This was during Operation Rolling Thunder. A crewman grabbed an AK and acted as a sort of improvised door gunner, firing at the An-2's cockpit as it flew below them, hitting his mark and killing the pilot, causing the An-2 to enter into a spiral and crash into the terrain below.

[@Da808Boii]

My gramps worked for Air America after finishing his service with the Army (MACV) being his last thing he did on active (WWII and Korea also) he had a lot of stories to tell me towards the end. He was the reason i went and did my thing.

[@danteferrari8032]

@@Da808Boii Could you tell some anecdote?

[@joshuajoaquin5099]

@@rootin222 wet dream but sadly didn't happen

[@joshuajoaquin5099]

also i do recall after this there will be helicopter dogfights during Iran Iraq War and even helicopters trying to shoot down planes. It was crazy thing, imagine Mi-24 and AH-1 just dogfighting

[@rootin222]

@@joshuajoaquin5099 not a wet dream the US lost over 5,000 helis in Vietnam

[@chase.7780]

One of my university professors went into Hmong Guerrilla controlled areas during the war. I remember in his class he described how most Hmong before the CIA armed them probably hadn’t ever seen a piece of welded metal before, but were all of a sudden able to command firebombs and food to fall from the sky with the help of the USAF, CIA, and Air America. Back in the day, the Hmong were probably the outright toughest fighting men on the planet.

[@maaz322]

Ah, the ole tough underdog cliche the US loves to deploy in their propaganda. They say that about the Pershmerga, Ukrainians, Hmong, South Koreans, Northern Alliance, etc. Aka anyone with the bodyweight in their starving, ravaged land who can wield Uncle Sam's armaments is a god damn hero who the American citizenry needs to admire enough to keep funding their proxy wars. In reality, they are just frightened people being herded into fighting by politicians and newly imported patriotism. Reality is, you often see how untrained, frantic, and waivering these people really are because they're usually fighting against a tide of popular movements that the US hates, like Islamism, communism, or just anti-Natoism in general. But aslong as there's someone who can hurl missiles and bombs in the name of America, they must be praised.

[@cplt9530]

Mmmh, maybe your teacher was Hanson/Kent Anderson ? ;)

[@thegiantisopod6299]

This is true my grandfather told me stories of being a soldier during the war in Laos. He told me that they had never seen a plane before and the only guns they had at the time were forged flintlocks and left over bolt actions rifles from WW2. Once the CIA came in the Hmong people were trained as pilots, also were taught modern tactics and guerilla warfare to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail. The following years when the war was fought Laos had become the most heavily bombed country in the world because modern jets carried way larger amounts of bombs. Due to the US pulling out many people fled as refugees to Thailand and eventually immigrated largely to the USA, Australia, and some European countries. Ironically the war allowed for me to be born in the US and for my family to have a better chance at life. Thanks for reading the rambling of a random Hmong guy.

[@chrisbrent7487]

They were flying CAS in T28's too. My mum and dad were there in 1969. It was a pretty large area that was controlled by the anti communist forces. They crossed illegally from Thailand and ended up getting deported after a few weeks when they took a domestic flight into Vientiane and it landed at the same time as an international arrival and they came out to check documents. They could hear bombing in a lot of the areas they were in. Dad got drunk with a bunch of Laotian T28 pilots. Many where Hmong that were living a near stone age existence one day and were picked up and flown to America the next to become pilots. They did a lot of crazy flying. Low level attack runs with bombs or rockets in close air support of friendly troops and that type of thing in really rough country.

[@bertroost1675]

I'd love to get one of their High Standard single shot 12 gauge shotguns given to them as gifts by the CIA

[@arnantphongsatha7906]

My grandfather was an electrical engineer working for a construction company in Thailand in the 60's-80's and helped these guys both set up and cleared out of Thailand. He brought home tons of stuff that they left behind, everything from vinyls to radios and even a damn night vision scope lol.

[@bertroost1675]

Vinyl NOT vinyls, thank you.

[@mikemcdermott7760]

Awesome.

[@MaSoNGaMeR115]

that's so cool

[@SP__15]

@@bertroost1675 congratulations mate

[@olawiaczek1]

Ah good ol' CIA, running around the world being rascals. Top tier vid as always Major!

[@mcarfish]

😮

[@edirt]

Heard them described as many things, but rascals is new 🤣😂

[@joaquinflores6318]

CIA: We do a little trolling

[@zombieranger3410]

CIA: We do a little stinger giving from time to time

[@jeanvaljean341]

They killed JFK 😟

[@Chris-yy5pj]

Fun fact, my grandfather served in PRIME BEEF and red horse squadrons during Korea and Vietnam. As he reached the rank of master sergeant he was approached by some men on base who were inquiring about having "tourists" go and take pictures of Cambodia and laos for them. Turns out they were CIA and they specifically asked my grandfather due to his expertise in explosives and building structures if he would go over to laos with no dog tags acting as a tourist while simultaneously using guerrilla warfare tactics to hinder the NVA and do reconnaissance for the CIA. Long story short my grandfather declined and got to come home as a master sergeant with a bronze star. For saving his soldiers by running thru an ambush, pulling soldiers to cover and jumping into an unarmored jeep and returning fire. As he arrived home he was spit on at the airport. He died of stomach cancer in 2016 likely caused by agent orange exposure he suffered in Vietnam. I miss you grandpa

[@izasvakoguglavrebadragankeba]

Well,if it is true,i think your grandfather is a hero in every contry on earth except USA,in my country,when USA bombed places,and my country was in war with another country,heroes were the guys that saved lives of their fellow mates.

[@Chris-yy5pj]

​@@izasvakoguglavrebadragankebatrue and I understand why you might feel that way. My grandfather was never a soldier though. He was experienced in fighting but his main job was civil engineering like red horse and PRIME BEEF so he never wanted to kill or fight. He just unfortunately wound up in those situations since he was deployed to combat zones to build he had to defend himself and his friends. He never loved war. He always told me interesting stories and almost all of them were uplifting and non combat related. I think Vietnam really changed his outlook. To me he is a hero worthy of more than a bronze star and a normal headstone. To others he may be evil. But not to me. In the early 60s he saved a black man from being lynched in Arkansas. He was a white man who didn't have to help him but he did. Few men on this earth will ever be close to the heroics and thoughtfulness of my grandfather in the darkest of times.

[@TheKamakafari]

Same my grandpa never talked about the war to anybody not even my grandma, learning about all the things they went through and then returning home to nothing but vitriol. He was drafted in and gladly took it, his family had nothing his mom dirt poor and his father an immagrant. Drafts don't give you choice you're going

[@haider5044]

​@@Chris-yy5pj Life and history are complicated, people can be forced into situations they never chose. Men like Kissinger or Nixon were evil, there is no doubt in that, your grandfather probably did the best he could do with a really shitty hand. The US presence was evil incarnate.

[@RohanSingh-zc4bm]

Why were they spat on?

[@Snp2024]

When you're born in Mississippi and join CIA so you went to Laos to teach Thai pilot's on how to fly American aircraft from royal Laos airforce to win war in Vietnam.

[@PaintTheWorld911]

Cold War intensifies*

[@cons9053]

@@nachbarnachbarsens7433 What: To reduce the influence of communism in south east asia. Whom: The American backed South Vietnamese government. Why: To stop communism overall and defeat the soviets and chinese with a proxy war

[@vikalawa5301]

Why americans thinks every problem solution is guns

[@elektrotehnik94]

@@vikalawa5301 1.) Because the Commi*s think that & start using guns first 2.) Because the world works in this way

[@madcapHPS]

@@vikalawa5301 "Why americans thinks every problem solution is guns" because other countries start the problems with guns so Americans have to clean up the mess.

[@joeblow5214]

This is one of those times the CIA got cute and hid behind a company. Air America is a interesting tale.

[@cooperstamp7802]

the Secret war is one of the topics in my former high schools "Local History" section. many Hmong fighters and their families were relocated to central Wisconsin after operations concluded.

[@-caesarian-6078]

must have been cold for them

[@FumblsTheSniper]

No shit I never made that connection although I know there was a lot of “Hmong” somewhere in the state just not what that meant. Very cool, stay warm.

[@thegiantisopod6299]

I'm just glad my grandfather and relatives who fought in the war did not do so in vain and be forgotten. This gave my people the "Hmong" a chance for a better life in America.

[@HydramaticM16A197]

Thank you Majorsamm for making this one! Being a Laotian American whose father and other relatives came to the US as refugees after the civil war in Laos. I've always had a fascination in this history, especially hearing my father talk about life in Laos during the war. It really was an interesting time, Air America Project 404, FAC Ravens, the use of Thai Mercenaries through the UNITY Program formed by the CIA.

[@386joedaddy]

We are happy to have you here. I got here because my grandmother fought in the Hungarian revolution and lost and had to flee here.

[@cameronmac4134]

Good music, interesting clips and another side of conflicts I never knew about. This is why I keep coming back.

[@elchinoguerito8915]

Born too late for the CIA’s “cowboy” era, born just in time for the CIA’s great power conflict era

[@ncrvako]

I get the former but the latter meaning in your sentence is lost to me. Care to elaborate?

[@angelinobernal6899]

@@ncrvako me too.

[@ThatAdamIsMild]

@Angelino Bernal I'm pretty sure he means the CIA conducting sabotage inside Russia currently, plus the chance of a China-Taiwan war

[@bobpobcf9723]

@@ncrvako ukraine

[@TheGamingMotionTGM]

Another word to put it would be 20th century CIA is like 19th century wild west, while present 21st century is like when CIA finally made it to the 20th century cold war.

[@KASHKUR_7.62]

"Sooo...Are you Chinesse or Japanese ???" - Hank Hill, King of the hills

[@Da808Boii]

Love this! I got some photos tucked away of my grandfather during his tenure working for Air America and prior to that spent 26yrs active duty (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) He went on to protect the ambassador to Bolivia after Vietnam and then adopted my birth father when he a newborn.

[@nm2000]

Nice video, some years ago spend my holidays in Thailand and came into talking with the owner of the Hotel I stood at. He actually had been in Laos as part of Operation Unity and had engaged much with the Americans there. It was nice to talk with him, he talks a lot about how they fought the Communist Pathet Lao forces, as the Thai troops in Laos not only armed Lao militias but also were actually engaged in combat. Later he even invited me to his house where he had lots of photos from his time in Laos, and told me about many individuals he met, including Field Marshal Thanom Kittikarchorn (the Thai commander of all Thai troops in Laos) and Captain Kong Le from the Lao army.

[@marclayne9261]

My father flew 'Civilian Air Transit'.....Indochina.....1951---53.....Father of 'Air America'......I still have his French Foreign Legion Beret....

[@mikemcdermott7760]

Super cool.

[@KazuhiraMiller46]

"You Laotian ain't ya boy" - Cotton Hill 😎

[@user-vp9lc9up6v]

The CIA when Congress forgot to hide the cocaine stash is my favorite CIA era

[@IPC-D_Media_Unit]

*Slaps Skytrain* You wouldn’t believe how much dope you can fit in this baby

[@theonewhoknocks797]

Very interesting, Laos is one hell of a country

[@Vang2009]

My uncle was a Hmong radio operator on the ground, his job was to direct air strikes on Pathet Lao ground forces, and my grandpa was a commander, he led men out to go fight but I don’t know anything else about what he did as a commander he didn’t tell us much but what I do know is that he got injured after one of his men stepped on a Landmine and it got shrapnel everywhere and he got hit almost everywhere thank god he survived. After he got out the Pathet Lao we’re moving closer so he took his guns and buried them somewhere in long tieng then he fled with his family. And if your asking yes they did both survive the war and escaped.

[@izasvakoguglavrebadragankeba]

so the blood on your family hands stoods still.

[@esoundesound6215]

@izasvakoguglavrebadragankeba Shut up lol

[@GhostRanger5060]

MajorSamm, as usual, you have perfectly captured the spirit of the times in music and imagery. #blessings

[@marcobonesi6794]

beautiful.will you ever do a video about the toyota war?

[@daleadmire1451]

Tacoma versus Camry?

[@SuperMunchkin1000]

Dropped four minutes ago and the comments are already bustling

[@Bryan-uw1ny]

Best title and song for the conflict so far.

[@hilmust6278]

Laos is the unknown pearl of Asia with an unknown pearl of history

[@tristanholland6445]

Not where I grew up in rural Florida. There’s a large community of Loa a lot of them were fighting for the CIA against the communists in Laos.

[@reycesarcarino4653]

Try Burma

[@mairon013]

Hi from Brazil major!

[@dannercroll8553]

Yet another masterpiece dear sir, keep up the great work.

[@rwadept]

Well done, MAJOR, one more uncharted page of history is unveiled!

[@Kabutoes]

Nice work! even got Lam Son 719 in there

[@mrmakhno3030]

even got -the most terrible loss of Vietnamization program- in there

[@AryanSingh-ku7zb]

I came as soon as possible, one of my favorite songs and topic ✌️

[@Baplopird]

Another masterpiece, as always.

[@Snow-Foot]

Jungle work would have to fit somewhere in this vibe.

[@TerminalM193]

Gosh, I love this channel so dang much!

[@executivemoment]

MajorSamm deserves more views!

[@jcc6913]

I once heard a story about how when the Americans left laos the US Air Force Radio signed off with a final message “Goodbye and see you next war”

[@jbarral6509]

Where did you hear that

[@quangcaodo8864]

​@@jbarral6509 Mentioned in "LAOTIAN REPORTS COMMUNIST DRIVE" - NYT article dated Feb 23 1973

[@NakulDalakoti]

Major's video makes war feel like a vacation in some far was away exotic land.... a stark contrast from the reality of war..!!

[@QodsMohajer]

There’s something very 70’s about an American jeep with a DSHK

[@ncrrangerrolandtembo4615]

And a man wearing blue jeans while letting her eat😂

[@JohnNumber1]

Excellent choice of music. Keep up the great content you've made for us👍.

[@nekkid3087]

You now it's an instant classic when you see THE M16A1 with 20 rounds magazine

[@patrickbateman2299]

Great video, what a vibe!

[@henrylau8122]

Thank you air america for all the yayo

[@firefightingvet9181]

Outstanding as usual.

[@R3volutionblu3s]

For further reading I highly recommend The Ravens and Air America both by Christopher Robbins.

[@alecazadi-hocking8381]

This is quickly becoming my favorite KZbin channel. Keep it up!!

[@Ratpick45]

HELL YES! Love your stuff MajorSamm. Keep it up brother! Great footage,great music... o7

[@The_Preacher_LLC]

PERFECT CHOICE OF TUNES

[@thesquirrel914]

Thank you Majorsamm!

[@byronsiamelis4507]

Every time Major Sam uploads, my day becomes so much more complete

[@CCootauco]

Shooting a machine gun while rocking bell bottom jeans and a camouflage uniform is tier operator chic.

[@bgordon647]

One of your finest, Samm.

[@nickthill3804]

Love it. Excellent video. Not sure where you find these but keep it up. Thanks for sharing.

[@BASE5NYC]

Nice one. - Seriously my favorite YT channel. 🤙🏼

[@thegiantisopod6299]

Ah the war in Laos, my grandfather used to tell me stories about his days as soldier in Laos. The government at the time before the communist takeover worked with the USA/CIA to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail that ran through Laos into South Vietnam. The Hmong and other ethnic tribes fought the ground war in the Laos with the support of the US government. After the USA pulled out many people now having become war refugees fled to Thailand in order to escape the prosecution of the NVA and now in power Communist government. Genocide was committed toward those who fought on the side of the USA. Once in Laos refugees did paperwork to immigrate to the USA, Europe and Australia. A large portion of refugees went to the USA and France. That's how I became part of the first Hmong generation born in the USA. If you took the time to reading this far thank you, the war in Laos and Vietnam still scar many people today.

[@dmw7320]

Another masterpiece !

[@FN_FAL_4_ever]

“Have the money ready, and no tricks. If you try anything, you'll have to talk to Mr. Joshua.”

[@vangm94]

Laos Secret War, it's still something that not may people know about.

[@TheShmileyDawg]

We need a Major Samm playlist of all of the songs you use in your videos. Excellent taste in music sir!

[@rohyp600]

somehow Major Samm never dissapoints when the upload notification comes up

[@bomba1905]

Why do the bad guys always look so cool

[@РыжийСтарпом]

High corporative standards in action.

[@gang6009]

Holy drum sample

[@archstanton4365]

This one gets better every time I watch it. Almost as good as the last Mercs (Belgian) edit.

[@Rebel-Rouser]

Great footage... Those were the days.

[@Sorblex]

I love you and your content Major!

[@thorbynumbers5368]

The spirit of Jerry Daniels smiles upon this video

[@notsocoolguy8492]

Fun fact: Barry Seal flew for Air America. Just throwing it out there.

[@sircoloniser5454]

wake up, new major samm video dropped

[@geopardo5410]

Thanks for a new video

[@dazbe0]

awesome as always

[@reyvan3806]

Best one yet.

[@josephinebillingslea8599]

Great video! Music 🎶 is awesome!

[@BasesMurilo]

Hello Majorsamm

[@DJTheMetalheadMercenary]

Excellent!!!!

[@thechallenger4305]

awesome video

[@mochalo4912]

who knows maybe one day we will have a video like these about usa

[@planeboi906]

During the war, 5 Thai commandos was sent to help 200 Royal Lao Army to fend off overwhelming Vietnamese troops, Only 5 Thais survived and made it back home, All Laotian troops KIA

[@mrmakhno3030]

oh,so the result is basically " well done Vietnam People's Army and Pathet Laos".

[@arnantphongsatha7906]

@@mrmakhno3030 Nah. The Reds were lucky CIA couldn't afford more Thais.

[@planeboi906]

@@mrmakhno3030 yup

[@Mongooseonthaloose]

Another great vid! Keep up the great work 🤙🏾

[@guccimain89]

Yes. Inject this into my veins.

[@giovannicervantes2053]

How sam pumped this out in 3 weeks i have no clue quick and amazing as always

[@VaryprshotOfficial]

I need the full uncensored version with no commentary

[@amygdala9857]

love those T-28's, ive seen some of the ones that flew for the CIA irl

[@nlbroomhall]

Excellent video make one on Operation Barras the British in Sierra Leone in 2000

[@smukysmucr324]

Another masterpiece

[@MP_-fd7cd]

Good video

[@skypowell6955]

The best of times, the blurst of times.

[@rotrexgaming9384]

Vravo Bince

[@stepanuchnnn4123]

Next video about French Legion in Africa, pleace!

[@misdangered4326]

A few MACVSOG boys in there I expect.

[@sa-amirel-hayeed699]

Guy shooting the Dshk full auto with no ear pro.... Legendary and ouch

[@lisarak8639]

and GOD did look down from Heaven, an HE did smile….. און גאָט האָט אַראָפּגעקוקט פֿון הימל, און ער האָט געשמייכלט...

[@plankthegoober]

as a lao person, i approve of this video.

[@usbgaming3367]

@majorsamm do you think you could make an video using the song Three choppers of mozdok?

[@piedpiper4450]

amazing

[@scruffscruffeton986]

Simpler times. Thanks.

[@juliogutierrez5256]

Great video! Maybe one on latín american dictatorships in the 70s?

[@cplt9530]

Where are the Uzi, Swedish K and .357 wheel guns from the MACV-SOG guys ?! Thanks for the video Major !

[@atfjacknz]

Spooky bois doing spooky things.

[@jakubforgac875]

Can you do Czechoslovakia 1989 Velvet Revolution?

[@steffens.3598]

I love it

[@xvnr8735]

The skies are speaking boom