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Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Look Into What "Never Happened"
Review: Hard to put this book down. Who were these mysterious folks who wore cut-off jeans, cowboy hats, and sunglasses? A very interesting documentary about this secret operation. If a pilot was shot down they were to take shellfish poison and commit suicide, because officially, they didn't exist. What country is the most-bombed per capita in history of the world? Vietnam? No, Laos. There are frequent insights and descriptions into the personalities of this small group of daring people who took part in this widely unknown conflict and series of secret missions. It lasted 10 years. Military terminology, procedures, strategies, and informalities (the way things got done), are explained well in this book. The personalities, internal politics and military strategies within Laos of the U.S. military and political bureaucracy, and Viet Minh, are broken down in an easy-to-read and free-flowing way, that makes it interesting and enjoyable for the reader. Some battles were examined that most of the American public is still not aware of today. There is a lot of information and real-life examples about endless catch-22-like SOPs and regulations that bound those who served in the Vietnam and the "other theater," (Laos). Common expressions explained throughout the book explain what it meant when someone "went bamboo," or took a hit from the "golden BB." What is a "FAC" or a "REMF." Vets will be impressed when a civilian mentions these acronyms. Like in Vietnam, the American military bureaucrats (suits) in downtown Vientiene offices were unaware and out-of-touch, yet, they were the ones creating and enforcing the rules and regulations, but not participating in the conflict. Therefore, they really didn't know what was going, and couldn't relate to the folks who put their life on the line every time they hopped in their officially non-existent jalopy. What is it like to realistically know that today may be your last day? Every day? The picturesque and mystical description of Laos and its' people make one want to go there and see it for their own eyes. Thoses interested in history, foreign policy, and South East Asia in general will learn from and enjoy this book, which should be more well-known.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Look Into What "Never Happened"
Review: Hard to put this book down. Who were these mysterious folks who wore cut-off jeans, cowboy hats, and sunglasses? A very interesting documentary about this secret operation. If a pilot was shot down they were to take shellfish poison and commit suicide, because officially, they didn't exist. What country is the most-bombed per capita in history of the world? Vietnam? No, Laos. There are frequent insights and descriptions into the personalities of this small group of daring people who took part in this widely unknown conflict and series of secret missions. It lasted 10 years. Military terminology, procedures, strategies, and informalities (the way things got done), are explained well in this book. The personalities, internal politics and military strategies within Laos of the U.S. military and political bureaucracy, and Viet Minh, are broken down in an easy-to-read and free-flowing way, that makes it interesting and enjoyable for the reader. Some battles were examined that most of the American public is still not aware of today. There is a lot of information and real-life examples about endless catch-22-like SOPs and regulations that bound those who served in the Vietnam and the "other theater," (Laos). Common expressions explained throughout the book explain what it meant when someone "went bamboo," or took a hit from the "golden BB." What is a "FAC" or a "REMF." Vets will be impressed when a civilian mentions these acronyms. Like in Vietnam, the American military bureaucrats (suits) in downtown Vientiene offices were unaware and out-of-touch, yet, they were the ones creating and enforcing the rules and regulations, but not participating in the conflict. Therefore, they really didn't know what was going, and couldn't relate to the folks who put their life on the line every time they hopped in their officially non-existent jalopy. What is it like to realistically know that today may be your last day? Every day? The picturesque and mystical description of Laos and its' people make one want to go there and see it for their own eyes. Thoses interested in history, foreign policy, and South East Asia in general will learn from and enjoy this book, which should be more well-known.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Must Read!
Review: Hollywood should have made a movie of this book instead of Robbins' earlier book "Air America". "The Ravens" is truly a great book about the unsung heroes of a war that "never happened".
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Must Read!
Review: Hollywood should have made a movie of this book instead of Robbins' earlier book "Air America". "The Ravens" is truly a great book about the unsung heroes of a war that "never happened".
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful book
Review: I did a report on the war in Laos for school. I couldn't find much on it at school, but when I found this book at the library I was set. I was first only going to read sections of it to get information for my report, but I liked it so much that I read the whole thing and did a book report on it for another class. It's a great book, and I think a lot of people who don't think they'd want to read a book about the secret war in Laos would really like it.
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