The untold story of US Special Forces in Laos, one of the longest secret wars of the Cold War—by a military historian and Special Forces veteran. The Secret War in Laos was one of the first “long wars” fought by US Special Forces, spanning a period of about thirteen years. It was one of the largest CIA-paramilitary operations of the time, kept out of the view of the American public until now. Between 1959 and 1974, Green Berets were covertly deployed to Laos during the Laotian Civil War to prevent the Communist Pathet Lao from taking over the country. Operators disguised as civilians and answering only to “Mister,“ were delivered to the country by Air America, where they reported to the US Ambassador. With limited resources, they faced a country in chaos. Maps had large blank areas. and essential supplies often didn’t arrive at all. In challenging tropical conditions, they trained and undertook combat advisory duties with the Royal Lao Government. Shrouded in secrecy until the 1990s, this was one of the first major applications of special warfare doctrine. Now, the story is comprehensively told for the first time using official archival documents and interviews with veterans.

I would like to share a part of my ancestral culture and history using a story I have written of a beloved elephant. The elephant graces the once-royal flag and is the old symbol of a soon-to-be-forgotten monarchy of the country of Lao. The Southeast Asian wars of the nineteen hundreds were fought by brave souls who were misled by greedy and corrupt men who only wanted to seek absolute power and control and ended the reign of the Lan Xang Kingdom. For seven hundred years, many different ethnicities have settled in this lush jungle paradise. It was never the land of any particular group as many shared its majestic mountains and tropical lowlands, and all called their home the land of a million elephants. Enjoy the story.

Drawing from his experiences in the United States Air Force flying support missions in Laos during the Vietnam War, author Michael Ferrara makes his fiction debut with The Land of the Million Elephants-a thrilling spy novel that mixes action, adventure, and mystery in the Laotian theater of the Vietnam War Acting on orders from President Nixon and the head of the CIA himself, young agency operative Mark Knight sets out to stop the North Vietnamese drug trade in Laos and neutralize its catastrophic impact on US forces. He works with a team that includes a Hmong warrior, a Pentagon intelligence whiz, two decorated fighter pilots, and a very beautiful Laotian woman who acts as an assistant to the US ambassador. As Knight and his team get closer to unraveling the mystery, they discover the existence of a spy and a traitor to American war efforts-someone who will go to any length to protect their identity and secrets. Intriguing and intelligent, The Land of the Million Elephants sheds light on a little-known part of the Vietnam War, providing insightful social commentary in the form of a thrilling spy novel.

Search and Clear demonstrates that the seeds of war were implicit in American culture, distinguishes between literature spawned by Vietnam and that of other conflicts, reviews the literary merits of works both well and little known, and explores the assumptions behind and the persistence of stereotypes associated with the consequences of the Vietnam War. It examines the role of women in fiction, the importance of gender in Vietnam representation, and the mythic patterns in Oliver Stone's Platoon. Essayists sharply scrutinize American values, conduct, and conscience as they are revealed in the craft of Tim O'Brien, Philip Caputo, Michael Herr, Stephen Wright, David Rabe, Bruce Weigl, and others.

Find out how the African elephant feeds itself, stays cool, and raises its young.

"The Complete Travel Guide Series" offers a comprehensive exploration of diverse destinations worldwide. Each book provides detailed insights into local culture, history, attractions, and practical travel tips, ensuring travellers are well-prepared to embark on memorable journeys. With vibrant illustrations, beautiful pictures and up to date information, this series is an essential companion for any type of traveller seeking enriching experiences.

A history of the “secret war” in Southeast Asia in which nearly three million tons of bombs decimated a newly independent nation. By 1959 the newly independent Kingdom of Laos was transforming into a Cold War battleground for global superpower competition, having been born out of the chaos following the French military defeat and withdrawal from Indochina in 1954. The country was soon engulfed in a rapidly evolving civil war as rival forces jockeyed for power and swelling foreign intervention intensified the fighting. Adding even more fuel to the fire, “neutral” Laos’s geographic entanglement in the war in neighboring South Vietnam deepened in the early 1960s as Hanoi’s reliance on the Ho Chi Minh Trail for moving men and matériel through the southern Laotian panhandle grew exponentially, making it a priority target of American interdiction efforts. For almost twenty years, the fighting between the Western-supported Royal Lao government and the communist-supported Pathet Lao would rage across the plains, jungles, and mountaintops largely unseen by most of the world. Thousands on each side would die and many more would be displaced as the conflict on the ground ebbed and flowed from season to season and year to year. And in the skies above, American and Royal Laotian aircraft would rain down their deadly payloads, decimating large swaths of the countryside in pursuit of victory. Nearly three million tons of bombs would be dropped on Laotian territory between 1965 and 1973, leaving a legacy of unexploded ordnance that lingers to this day. The battle for Laos is a tale of entire communities and generations caught up in a war seemingly without end, one that pitted competing foreign interests and their proxies against each other and was forever tied to Washington’s pursuit of victory in Vietnam. This book tells the story of this so-called “secret war.”