Eberle also believes what happened in Laos in the sixties is relevant in that it shares strong parallels with the conflict in Iraq. "Laos was the progenitor of the way America fights wars in the 21st century," he says. "Outsourcing the war to private companies, gathering public support by falsifying intelligence and documents, embedded journalism and automated warfare including the use of so-called `smart weapons', all these methods were first tested in Laos."
"Laos was the progenitor of the way America fights wars in the 21st century," he says.
"Outsourcing the war to private companies, gathering public support by falsifying intelligence and documents, embedded journalism and automated warfare including the use of so-called `smart weapons', all these methods were first tested in Laos."
Selective remembrance to salve our vain pride is one thing, but the way our "forgetting" translates into ever repeated mistakes really bites hard.
I don't see the lines as exactly parallel. The "secret war" in Laos could also be compared to the French underground resistance during WWII. The invaders were the North Vietnamese Army fighting with and supporting the insurgent Pathet Lao. (The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists. During the civil war, it was effectively organized, equipped and even led by the army of North Vietnam. (From Wikipedia)
The CIA's "private army" were citizens of Laos (not an altogether private army), supported and encouraged by a few Americans on the ground. A large part of the strategic problem with the Vietnamese war from the American view was that the North Vietnamese/Viet Cong were politically unrestricted in their movement by international borders (similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan) and could be amply supported in operations from such sanctuaries. The Americans were otherwise restricted to the use of air power with all of its destructiveness and ineffectiveness and as in the case of Cambodia it was used illegally (from American legal standpoint). Only a few large incursions outside Vietnam proper took place, largely by the South Vietnamese Army and these were disasters.
As a matter historical interest only, I know one of the Americans who took part, on the ground, in the Laos "secret war" and met, in Thailand, the American(the so called model for Coppola's Col Kurtz) who organized, lived with and fought with the Hmong during the "war." He is now deceased, but it would be interesting to hear his views about the war. I am quite sure, having spoken with him for several hours, that his highly personal version would be somewhat different in scope and detail from what one is likely to see in print these days. One could say that his life was ruined, if not completely changed, by the experience. The experience and alcoholism ultimately took their toll on this brave and tragic figure. Though one might disagree with, or even despise, him for what he did, one would be hard-pressed to find a braver man. I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
