By Ricardo Chavira
May 19, 2025
My brother David was a decorated Vietnam veteran. But he kept his combat role a lifetime secret. No one could shake his hand and say thank you for your service.
The American government required that he never discuss his combat activities or involvement in Vietnam. He shared his observations of small-town Thailand, the nation where my brother was posted.
A U.S. Air Force sergeant and communications specialist, he was posted to Udorn, Thailand. David was assigned to the 1973rd Communications Squadron. He served there from January 1968 to January 1969.
Before he left for his assignment, I quizzed him about why he was being sent to a backwater air force base in Thailand. It struck me as an odd posting, considering the Vietnam War was at its height. David was being dispatched to a place disconnected from the war.
At least that is what he let me believe.
The truth is, he was at the heart of a major clandestine Vietnam War effort. The “Secret War” was largely waged in Laos to counter the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese fighters. According to the CIA, the conflict began in 1959 and ended in 1975.
In Laos, bombs were dropped every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. An incredible total of 274 million tons of bombs rained down, making it the most heavily bombed country in history.
Amazingly, David was in active combat zones much of the time. I am still astounded that he never even hinted at this perilous and traumatic period.
It is not known if David fired a weapon, but he was armed. His military records about Udorn show he was in combat, but do not indicate where.
He most likely entered Laos, North Vietnam, or both as part of his clandestine duties—those requiring critical communication and technical skills to support field operations.
While most personnel stationed at Udorn were tasked with remote support, specialized units sometimes deployed small teams directly into operational areas in Laos.
Communications and intelligence specialists were embedded with forward-deployed teams, such as U.S. Air Force tactical air control parties, TACPs, or CIA-backed paramilitary units, to provide on-site communications, intelligence gathering, or logistical coordination.
These Air Force combat control teams carried PRC-25 backpack radios with extendable antennas to communicate with other ground teams. More importantly, would contact the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center and request USAF airstrikes.
The 1973rd also maintained secure channels for Air America, the CIA-fronted airline conducting clandestine missions in Laos. This included transmitting intelligence on Pathet Lao movements to Udorn-based forward air controllers. Air America was headquartered at Udorn.
During the Secret War, the squadron’s personnel were deployed to remote Laotian sites to install communication equipment. They often traveled via Air America helicopters.
The secret war was so well concealed that I concluded that David would handle radar traffic. That had been his job at other bases where he served.
Udorn’s strategic location, just 40 minutes flying time from Hanoi, made it invaluable for operations over North Vietnam and Laos.
The 1973rd Communications Squadron, David’s unit, enabled precision targeting, mission coordination, and intelligence operations across North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
The squadron maintained Tactical Air Navigation systems, which provided azimuth and distance data for aircraft operating over North Vietnam and Laos.
These systems were vital in Laos’ mountainous terrain, where visibility challenges and unpredictable weather made manual navigation hazardous. Udorn-based RF-4C reconnaissance jets, which flew 80% of all missions over North Vietnam, relied on these systems to map targets and assess post-strike damage.
Between March 1965 and November 1968, Air Force aircraft flew 153,784 attack sorties against North Vietnam.
By the end of 1968, the U.S. had conducted 52,120 bombing sorties over Laos in total.
On July 26, 1968, a team of 25 or more fighters equipped with automatic weapons attacked the base, causing severe damage to aircraft and killing personnel. The attackers were either North Vietnamese or local insurgents.
David was stationed there at that time. I don’t know if he took part in the fighting, but there is no doubt that he was wounded in combat in 1968.
I heard my parents talking about David while he was hospitalized and posted at Udorn.
David concocted a cover story to explain why he was medevacked and hospitalized. My brother claimed he was injured in a barroom brawl in Thailand, but I immediately dismissed that tale. David was an extraordinary street fighter. When we were teenagers, I was present when he laid out two Marines in less than a minute. It was a display of fighting normally seen in action movies.
In any case, my brother was medevaced to Clark AFB hospital. This facility in the Philippines was equipped to handle serious injuries and illnesses.. Years later, David recalled his hospital stay as among his worst experiences. The constant horrible cries and moans of wounded service members tortured him.
Once, after my pestering, David said, “What I did was stressful. How well I did my job determined if men lived or died.” That’s all he disclosed. He said he was required to sign what sounds like an NDA, requiring him not to discuss his activities.
There was a colorful clue to David’s activities. After his discharge, he gave me a long bamboo blowgun and darts. These were gifted to him by “a tribesman,” he said. He did not specify what tribe the man belonged to. However, there were tribes in Laos, the Hmong in particular, who were American allies.
Some years after his death, I was unexpectedly tipped off about David’s former job. For many more years, I have investigated what was a critical year of his life. Getting a copy of his service record took me a long time. His Udorn tour is missing details that were included in other postings.
However, some of what is listed tells a story. David was awarded a Bronze Star for combat in a major operation, Vietnam Air Offensive Phase III. During this phase, there was increased conflict in Laos as Communist forces moved supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. U.S. air operations included B-52 bombing of truck parks and storage areas.
David was involved in the entire phase, from April 1968 to October 1968.
While I opposed the war, I am extremely proud of David. He lived through traumatic experiences and stayed true to his word right up to his death.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 