While most Americans watched the Vietnam War on television, another bloody conflict was transpiring next door in Laos, hidden from the news cameras and print journalists. A very small, select, group of volunteer U.S. Air Force pilots in a highly secret U.S. government program were fighting a secret war, wearing civilian clothes, piloting small, unarmed prop-driven aircraft, taking life-and-death risks on every hazardous mission and given little to no guidance other than to direct deadly fires on the enemy. These men were U.S. Air Force pilots called Ravens, guiding fast-mover U.S. fixed wing fighters and bombers onto enemy targets in an effort to stop the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos. Ravens flew and fought in Laos from 1967 to 1972, sustaining one of the highest casualty rates of any U.S. Air Force unit during the Vietnam War. This is Part I of their story. See my Channel for Ravens II: Their Stories, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_iq9BVZPhs and you can read more of the Ravens story on the Hmong Daily News: https://hmongdailynews.com/ravens-flew-high-and-low-over-laos-p630-154.htm You can also learn more on the Secret War in Laos from Dr. Carter's video "What was the Secret War in Laos?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW1cjL57KTY&t=27s. John Horan, gracious financial benefactor and supporter to memorializing Lao War veterans, sponsor of the The Lao-Hmong Memorial in Colorado, says: "I've seen and read a lot on the U.S. Secret War and your video is the most complete and concise review of all." The United States Air Force Museum at Dayton Ohio says this video is the most accurate and complete account of the Laos Secret War. @CarterOnConflict