Invasion of Laos: Operation Lam Son 719

Part 1/2: The Hownikan sat down with Tribal member Col. Robert Sander (Ret.) for an interview about his book. The book is a historical look at Operation Lam Son 719 during the Vietnam War. This video is the first of two with Sander's point of view of the effort.
Photos provided by Robert Sander and Clyde Yates.

[@greasyflight6609]

Read Kieth William Nolan..."Into Laos"....an incredible book...all of his Vietnam War books are a treasure trove...history

[@hongphuong2352]

Hãy đến Việt Nam với tư cách là một người bạn , chúng tôi muốn hoà bình

[@billevans7936]

❤

[@Mudge61]

Did you serve with Pilot Molinelli?

[@stevehanken8520]

I was there as a mechanic doing direct support to several companies going into and out of Laos at Quang Tri. As I recall we came to this place with eight helicopter companies. When we left we had four remaining of the original choppers. The rest were either destroyed, had gone beyond the hours they were aloted to fly and sent back to Depot, sustained so much battle damage we couldn't fix them and sent them back to the states or they simply were not worth risking lives to bring what remained out of the jungle. I do recall one tail boom that was brought in, that was all that remained of the ship and the only reason it was brought in was it counted as a "recovered" ship because of the tail number. Normally this was never done, but figures never lie, but liars do know how to figure! Also, to suggest there were no US Army troops on the ground in Vietnam isn't true either. I ran into an adviser to a Vietnamese scout company carrying a nylon stock AK-47 that was brand new, when I asked him where he got it he let it slip , "in Laos" and then covered his tracks by saying from his troops who were in Laos. The damage I saw on ships coming back was frankly scary,.51.cal machine gun fire, 37 MM anti-aircraft guns, radar assisted 51 Cal. machine gun fire and even surface to air missiles were reported and flying around in a beer can with rotary wings is not something you do in a hail of shot and shell without having either a death wish or some big Kahunas!

[@joerobertson7887]

I was a 1st Lt. Signal Platoon Ldr 3rd BDE HQ 101 Airborne during Lam Son. Most of my time spent at Camp JJ Carroll, FSB Sarge, Dong Ha and others. This was just another Charlie Foxtrot that was doomed from the start. The NVA always knew what was going to happen ahead of time. Recently watching our mess in exiting Afghanistan just reminded me of how little the U.S. ever learns from the past. And why politicians maybe need to let the Generals fight the wars.

[@jameshickey9393]

I was a Crew Chief 7/17th Air Cav HHT flew AHS with C troop 7/17th Guns. I'm proud of this campaign medal.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

you are proud of medal from illegal war , killing innocent vietnamese heroes by supporiting US puppet reegime in south vietnam

[@RichardRossiterendpain]

I was there as a part of the 3/17th Air Cav from Quang Tri. That whole area was our AO. From the DMZ to Quang Tri, and over to Khe Sanh, the Tri-Border and Laos. We went into Laos before it was LS 719. I was shot down during it and landing in Laos. We lost a lot of friends. I was very lucky.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

sure kid , how old are you again ? stop confusing real world history with computer games

[@bobprickett4973]

I was an Intel analyst for J2 MACV on the Laos desk in 1971. It was a disorienting experience. I have been trying to regain my balance ever since.

[@donaldjones7678]

I was there at the time as a grunt pulling security around Hwy 9

[@11BravoRVN]

I came in country end Jan '71 as a grunt, and instead of being assigned to an Infantry unit, me, and about a dozen other 11b's were assigned to an MP Convoy Escort Company based in Cam Ranh Bay. We had no idea why at the time, but soon after arriving in CRB, we were sent North to Phu Bai & Camp Eagle. We were trying to keep Rt 1 & 9 open for supply convoys. Perhaps we passed one another, but many thanks for the highway security. Ambushes, and B-40 rockets were plentiful. When the operation wound down, I got to go back to CRB, and spent several months with the 630th, until one day my TDY experience ended when orders came down to report to the 101st ABN, Camp Evans, and start living outside the wire with 1/506th 101st. Damn near froze to death in those mountains during the monsoon season.

[@donaldjones7678]

@@11BravoRVN Wow coming in the country at end of 1971. You helped turn off the lights. Ha!