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Project Waterpump
Project Waterpump (alternately, Operation Waterpump, or simply Waterpump) was a secretive support operation by the U.S. Air Force to train and nurture into existence the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF). The United States had decided to covertly support the Kingdom of Laos in the Laotian Civil War as the Lao fended off a North Vietnamese invasion. The nascent RLAF was seen as a force multiplier but needed pilots and technicians. The 40-man Detachment 6, 1st Air Commando Wing, code named Waterpump, was forwarded to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base for this training duty in March 1964. They would remain on duty through the truce of 21 February 1973. Their first hasty assignment was transition training to the T-28 Trojan for American civilian pilots; the resulting A Team would exist through 1967. The Air Commandos also conducted final training for Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) mercenary pilots; the resultant B Team would serve until 1970. Besides putting a polish on graduate pilots, the Waterp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Lao Air Force
The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government and the Kingdom of Laos during the Laotian Civil War between 1960 and 1975. The original Lao military aviation establishment was the 'Laotian Aviation' (), established by the French on 28 January 1955 as a small aerial observation and transport arm of the then National Lao Army (ANL). As the French withdrew from Indochina, the Lao Aviation was supported by American aid. With the addition of offensive capabilities, it morphed into the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF). The RLAF struggled into existence in the face of its enemies, while dealing with its own internal divisions as well as bucking a tide of pilot and aircraft losses. As it expanded from its 1960 foundation, and as the fighting power of the Royal Lao Army was diminished and broken du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Requirements Office
The Requirements Office (RO) was a ''sub rosa'' Military Assistance Advisory Group set up during the Laotian Civil War. It was established in September 1962 in the United States embassy in Laos, as a replacement for a similar preceding unit, the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO). The RO's role was furnishing the Royal Lao Army with munitions and supplies to support their war effort against the People's Army of Vietnam. The RO would eventually be absorbed into the Defense Attachés Office on 8 August 1973. Background In July 1962, the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed by 14 countries, including the United States and North Vietnam. To honor it, the US moved its Programs Evaluation Office monitoring military aid to the Kingdom of Laos to Thailand. When it became apparent that People's Army of Vietnam troops remained in Laos in violation of the treaty, the US established the Requirements Office in September 1962 to replace the disbanded PEO in its secreti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thao Ma
Brigadier-General Thao Ma (1931–1973) was a Laotian military and political figure of the Laotian Civil War and the Vietnam War (aka Second Indochina War). Thao Ma began his military career as a paratrooper in the French Union Army, when France administered the Kingdom of Laos. He switched to aviation, first as a transport pilot, then as a fighter-bomber pilot. From 1959 to 1966, Thao Ma was the commander of the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF), and was noted for his charisma and aggressiveness. However, his dedication to soldierly virtues put him at odds with other Laotian generals who were involved in the drug trade. As a result, he made three futile attempts to seize control of the Laotian military and the Royal Lao Government. During the last of these attempted coups, in 1973, he was executed without trial at age 42. Early life Thao Ma Manosith was born in 1931 at Salavan in the French Protectorate of Laos, of mixed Laotian and Vietnamese heritage. He became a Laotian patriot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leonard Unger
Leonard Seidman Unger (December 17, 1917 – June 3, 2010) was a diplomat and United States Ambassador to Laos (1962–64), Thailand (1967–73), and was the last US ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan (1974–79). Personal life Unger was born in San Diego, California and graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1939. He was the co-author of ''The Trieste negotiations'' and co-editor of ''Laos : beyond the revolution''. After retiring from the foreign service, he taught at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He died on June 3, 2010, in Sebastopol, California. Diplomacy career Unger was a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi .... He was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air America (airline)
Air America was an American passenger and cargo airline established in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1950 to 1976. It supplied and supported covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, including providing support for drug smuggling in Laos.''The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade'', by McCoy, with Cathleen B. Read and Leonard P. Adams II, 2003, p. 385 Early history: Civil Air Transport (CAT) CAT was created by Claire Chennault and Whiting Willauer in 1946 as Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (CNRRA) Air Transport to airlift supplies and food into war-ravaged China. It was soon pressed into service to support Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang forces in the civil war between them and the communists under Mao Zedong. Many of its first pilots were veterans of Chennault's World War II combat groups, popularly known as Flying Tigers. By 1950, following the defeat o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies of World War II, Allies during World War II and remained in front-line service with various military operators for many years.Parker 2013, pp. 13, 35, 37, 39, 45-47. Design and development The C-47 differed from the civilian DC-3 by way of numerous modifications, including being fitted with a cargo door, hoist attachment and strengthened floor - along with a shortened tail cone for Military glider, glider-towing shackles, and an Astrodome (aeronautics), astrodome in the cabin roof.Wilson, Stewart. ''Aircraft of WWII''. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd., 1998. . During World War II, the armed forces of many countries used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saigon
, population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_info = US$61.7 billion , blank2_name = – Per capita , blank2_info = US$6,862 , blank3_name = GRP ( PPP) , blank3_info = 2019 , blank4_name = – Total , blank4_info = US$190.3 billion , blank5_name = – Per capita , blank5_info = US$21,163 , blank6_name = HDI (2020) , blank6_info = 0.795 ( 2nd) , area_code = 28 , area_code_type = Area codes , website = , timezone = ICT , utc_offset = +07:00 , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 700000–740000 , iso_code ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2nd Air Division
The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 November 1942 as 2nd Bomb Wing and was reorganized as the 2nd Bomb Division on 13 September 1943 before its final designation as the 2nd Air Division in January 1945. It was last inactivated on 1 February 1987. History World War Two The 2nd Air Division came into being following the reorganisation of the VIII Bomber Command as the Eighth Air Force. It conducted strategic bombardment of Axis targets in Europe, alongside missions to airdrop supplies. Between 29 August 1944 and 2 October 1944 division aircraft dropped food to the French population in liberated areas. It also airdropped food, equipment, and supplies to Allied forces engaged in the airborne attack on the Netherlands (September 1944), as well as troops engaged in the assault acro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farm Gate (military Operation)
''Farm Gate'' was the code name for an American air force mission operating in Vietnam before the overt US entry into the Vietnam War. History In the early 1960s, the U.S. armed forces were developing units specifically designed to counter guerrilla warfare. The first United States Air Force (USAF) unit of this nature was the 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron code named "Jungle Jim" that were later renamed the 1st Air Commando Wing (after the similarly named 1st Air Commando Group which served in the China Burma India Theater of World War II). The squadron specialized in tactics used to support friendly ground forces in small, 'brushfire' conflicts. In October 1961, John F. Kennedy authorized the deployment of a detachment of Air Commandos to South Vietnam. The 4400th CCTS headed from their home at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. Their mission was to train the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) using older aircraft in support o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temporary Duty
Temporary duty travel (TDY), also known as temporary additional duty (TAD), is a designation reflecting a United States Armed Forces service member's—or civilian United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense employee's—travel or other assignment at a location other than the traveler's permanent duty station as authorized by thJoint Travel Regulations This type of wikt:secondment, secondment is usually of relatively short duration, typically from two to 189 days in length. Not all agencies use this designation. Temporary duty assignments usually come with per diem pay, covering lodging, meals, and incidental expenses. Many employees value the per diem aspect of a TDY, since that money is guaranteed, even if they spend less than their allotted daily value. However, most agencies handle the lodging per diem separately from the meals and incidentals, and employees may not make money by staying at cheaper accommodations, or putting more than one person in a room. Typi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert S
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown" and '' berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin. It is also in use as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert. After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an Old English cognate form (''Hrēodbēorht'', ''Hrodberht'', ''Hrēodbēorð'', ''Hrœdbœrð'', ''Hrœdberð'', ''Hrōðberχtŕ'') had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto. Robert is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Danish, and Icelandic. It ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) systems. Eglin AFB was established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It is named in honor of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 attack aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Alabama. History Creation and World War II Much of the base was part of a national forest until the outbreak of World War II in Europe when a proving ground for aircraft armament was established at Eglin. The U.S. Forest Service ceded over 340,000 acres of the Choctawhatchee National Forest to the War ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
