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Interviewees – Refugee Stories from the Secret War
You can choose from the list of Interviewees

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During the Vietnam War years, one of the largest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations ever undertaken took place in the small Southeast Asian Kingdom of Laos. Hundreds of thousands of Laotian civilians were killed in the fighting or in retaliation for their support of American troops.

The interviews in the Refugee Stories from the Secret War section posted below are accounts from local Hmong and Mien survivors of the Secret War. They have shared their stories so that teachers and their students can learn about a hidden or under told history still missing from most textbooks. Their interviews also provide invaluable insights to understanding the challenges faced by refugees, such as language barriers, cultural differences, huge shifts in geography, and loss of homeland and heritage. A number of our interviews are from refugees who served in the Secret War as soldiers and even as Robins, also known as Backseaters to Raven pilots.

The interviews in The Ravens: American Pilots in the Secret War section provide first-hand accounts of what it was like to overnight become a former U.S. Air Force pilot and begin fighting in a country (Laos) where, according to President Nixon, "there are no American combat forces." Trading in their uniforms for civilian clothing, while piloting unarmored, small, prop-driven aircraft with the following mission: " fly low and slow, spot the enemy, and direct the winged artillery of American air strikes from adjacent South Vietnam, Thailand, and U.S. aircraft carriers." - Christopher Robbins, The Ravens.

Our goal is to provide educators with a unique and growing collection of primary sources about this little-known chapter in our recent history, thereby making the teaching of the Secret War an integral part of a unit on the Vietnam War. The resources complement California's Assembly Bill 78 and the more recent Assembly Bill 2064.

Note: Funding for the recording and editing of Secret War interviews has been provided by the Elk Grove Unified School District in partnership with the Sacramento Education Cable Consortium (SECC).

Interviewees - Refugee Stories from the Secret War

Interviewees - The Ravens: American Pilots in the Secret War

The Ravens were fighter pilots who served as Forward Air Control (FAC) in the covert operation in conjunction with the CIA in Laos during America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Working with the Hmong Army, The Ravens provided direction for most of the air strikes against communist Pathet Lao targets and the People's Army of Vietnam.

Interviewees - The Killing Fields of Cambodia

Interviewees - Insights on Cultural Competence and Teaching English Learners

For a quick window into Larry's insights on working with English Language Learners (ELLs), please view this short clip from his interview.

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During the Vietnam War years, one of the largest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations ever undertaken took place in the small Southeast Asian Kingdom of Laos. Hundreds of thousands of Laotian civilians were killed in the fighting or in retaliation for their support of American troops.

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