Legacies of War: A Project on the
Secret U.S. Bombings in Laos
Channapha Khamvongsa*, Sary Tatpaporn**, Bounthanh Phommasathit***, Lee
Thorn**** (Panel of 4)
*New York, NY, Presentation Chair
**Richmond, CA
***Cleveland, OH
****San Francisco, CA
Abstract:
The secret U.S. bombings of Laos during the Vietnam War
era branded it the most bombed country in all of warfare history. Yet, the
bombings and the legacy of Laos, being heavily littered by deadly unexploded
ordnances, remain unknown to most of the world today. Unauthorized by Congress,
the U.S. bombings killed and injured tens of thousands, and displaced countless
Lao from their homes. The illegality of the bombings has led to suggestions that
the U.S. military aggression is a crime of war and a violation of human rights.
Thirty-years after the last bombs were dropped, a group of Lao-Americans and
supporters are organizing to unearth this obscure chapter in U.S. history.
Legacies of War is an education and advocacy project which seeks to raise
awareness about the fatal American bombings and to develop strategies for
increasing the role of the U.S. in the removal of unexploded ordnances and in
the assistance to survivors. Legacies of War will also draw attention to the
victims and survivors of the bombings, whose faces, voices and humanity are
often forgotten in the discourse of warfare.
The panel will include presentations from the above authors, along with display
of historic illustrations drawn 30-years ago in Laos by survivors of the secret
American bombings. The panelist will include Lee Thorn, formerly with the U.S.
Navy, who loaded cluster bombs on U.S. planes destined for Laos. Mr. Thorn is
featured in the film “Bombies,” which is scheduled to be screened at the
conference. Ms. Bounthanh Phommasathit is a survivor of the bombings in Xieng
Khoang.