Description
On 23 March, 1961, an American SC-47 departed Vientiane, Laos, on a flight that was destined for Saigon, South Vietnam. While enroute, the pilot flew the intelligence gathering aircraft near a Pathet Lao encampment in an attempt to obtain information about the radio frequencies used by the insurgents. Enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) hit the aircraft and brought it down near the encampment. Pathet Lao soldiers captured the sole survivor of the crash and held him prisoner for nearly a year.1 There was no rescue mission was ever launched. A little over six years later, enemy AAA shot down a USAF F-105 near the Mu Gia Pass in North Vietnam.2 However in this situation, a professional force consisting of dozens of Americans and over 15 aircraft successfully rescued the pilot and returned him to his squadron. The reason why each situation had a different outcome was due to one simple fact: the quality of search and rescue (SAR) capability available at the time in Southeast Asia. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
ISBN 9781025126692
