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 WATER PUMP. Aircraft maintenance, medical, and other non-combat services were needed. In some cases American citizens came to Laos to offer humanitarian services to the Hmong people, notably religious and spiritual relief.
To this day, many of the Americans who served in Laos and their Lao and Hmong counterparts remain in contact, becoming extended family members of the other’s community.
Click here to return to Search and Rescue in Southeast Asia(SAR in SEA)
Click here to the Southeast Asia War Gallery