In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

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  • Artillery Threat

    North Vietnamese artillery units equipped with 130 mm cannons supported their infantry and armor forces attacking into Laos. These accurate weapons ranged seventeen miles and posed a dangerous threat to the Hmong and allied forces defending Laos and were a primary target for the Ravens.To deal with

  • Support from a Distance: PROJECT WATER PUMP

    In 1964, the US Air Force began providing aircraft and flight instruction to the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF). Under the codename WATER PUMP, USAF Air Commandos at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand, trained RLAF, Thai, and other Lao forces. Eventually, this included this included the

  • Chao Pha Khao

    The Chao Pha Khao, the call sign used by Hmong North American T-28 Trojan pilots, contributed greatly to the war effort in Laos and served as source of pride for the Hmong people.During PROJECT WATER PUMP a total of thirty-four Hmong and one Khmu person completed the six-month training program to

  • Robins and Backseaters

    Flying with the Ravens at Long Tieng were Hmong “backseaters” using the call sign Robin. Selected by local commanders with the approval of Laotian Major General Vang Pao, these men played a crucial role in the air war over Laos.Mostly veteran guerilla soldiers, they translated radio calls between

  • United We Stand

    Despite language and cultural barriers, a strong bond formed between US Air Force Ravens and the pilots and backseaters from the RLAF. They worked closely together, entrusting one another with military support, and, in some cases, their lives.Other USAF personnel were deployed to Laos under PROJECT

  • US and Hmong Exodus

    The Ravens departed Laos in June 1973, following the Paris Peace Accords, which led to the US exit from Southeast Asia. The three ruling factions in Laos signed a cease-fire later that year, and by the end of 1973, all US military personnel had left.In just two years, the communist-backed Pathet Lao

  • Nevermore: Captain Chuck Engle, Raven 26

    The Raven and Hmong community respected Captain Charles “Chuck” Engle as a daring and skilled pilot. On multiple occasions, he displayed extreme heroism while locating and protecting downed pilots and coordinating rescue operations for them.On one such mission, Capt. Engle responded to a downed

  • From Out of The Fire: Captain Gerald Young

    In the pre-dawn hours on November 8, 1967, two Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giants from the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron were mobilized to rescue the survivors of a US Army reconnaissance team trapped inside Laos. Two helicopters had already been shot down while trying to recover the

  • Search and Rescue in Southeast Asia (SAR in SEA)

    The museum's newest permanent exhibit is now open in the Southeast Asia Gallery. "That Others May Live" tells the story of Search and Rescue operations during the wars in Southeast Asia.Global Peacetime TransitionARS Enters Southeast AsiaA Call for UnificationRescue Specialist Pararescue in