Secret War in Laos: Green Berets, CIA, and the Hmong

By: Steven Schofield

Narrated by: Andrew Rowe

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

The tale of a young Green Beret medic, Vietnam combat veteran with the top secret Studies and Observations Group (SOG) who was recruited by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Schofield worked five and a half years providing medical support for the Hmong and other Hill Tribes who fought the CIA’s secret war in Northern Laos, and was among the last Americans to leave SE Asia in May 1975.

It was a surreal time and place that would be impossible to even imagine today.

“Schofiled’s book reflects a genuine love for the Hmong and their culture, as well as a vast knowledge of their efforts during our ‘secret war’ in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s. Read and learn some actual facts; not overblown rhetoric from another barstool hero.” (Stephen R. Leopold, colonel, SF, USA, ret.)

“Schofield’s book will be a welcome, informative addition to recent books released on the early days of Green Beret history in Southeast Asia. De Oppresso Liber." (John Stryker Meyer, author of SOG Chronicles, Across the Fence, and On the Ground)

©2019 Steven Schofield (P)2020 Steven Schofield

Excellent

It needs a cover yes but an SF Medic has stories to tell, no? Firefights, injuries in combat, hijinks in off hours, it’s a funny, horrifying, medically sound thrill ride for 90% of it. Only cons for me was that some of the fights seemed boastful (he never loses, I get it’s his memoir). In my memoir I never lost a fight either! On the whole though, excellent book go get it.

1000+ library, 90% military thriller or mil SF

Brought down by himself.

I cannot rate the story because I did not have the patience to get through the forward and chapter 1. . By that time the author had turned me off with his sophomoric assumptions about folks outside of his narrow political perspective. Couple that with a basket of braggadocio and I was unable to get to the content that I was interested in learning.

A must read to understand the Vietnam story

A great read for those who must know the daily experience and reality of life and dreams of a professional soldier..

Jane Fonda should read this!

This is a great book about great Americans sacrificing their livelihood for the better of the world. unlike activists like Jane f****** Fonda who just bitch for attention to better themselves. Unlike the men and women who fight and die for those very freedoms to have a platform to complain in the first place. double standards seem to be the foundation for the left to sabotage our great country.

Not a full review

Just want to say that overall very good. The narrator was also very good, EXCEPT for the fact that his mispronouncing several area names was very distracting and made it seem more fictional. I can verify many of the facts and again the narrator was good except for a few mispronunciations that could have been easily corrected with minimal effort.

An interesting look at the Laotian side war

This was an informative account of US AID's contribution to the war in Laos told by a authority on the subject.

My experience

The book is rich in combat stories and builds so nicely with the chapters onto captivating hair-raising missions. Sadly it flattens into a monotony of introductions of officers, tribes and places which makes reading to the end for an adrenaline moments-seeking reader such a painful anti-climax to a story that offered so much promise.

Also annoying is how the writer wastes so much space detailing his own personal fist-fights with fellow officers. Just one such would have sufficed. The space could have been used to provide further details on missions that were summarized.

good story, good narrator

I've read and listen to a lot of Vietnam war auto biographies. This one was interesting and talked about a lot of things that aren't covered in other books The narrator did a good job as well making it easy to listen to.

It’s no Secret

It is no secret now and is truly a eye opening of what many special forces personal experienced. Of a man who stayed behind trying to help the people in south east Asia ...fighting the NV and giving his medical assistance to the people who believed the USA would never abandon them...
Truly a great book and always kept me interested!

By far the worst.

Dry and dragged out. Has almost no combat missions in the book. Instead brags about not having any self control and bar fighting every chance he could. Terrible. Not even worth reading for free.