POW's/MIA's in Laos

Nearly 600 Americans were lost in the country of Laos during the war with Vietnam. Although the numbers of men actually termed "prisoner of war" are quite low, this can be explained in understanding the blanket of
security surrounding the "secret war" the U.S. waged in Laos. Only a handful of publicly exposed cases were ever acknowledged POW, even though scores of pilots and ground personnel were known to have been alive and well at last contact (thus increasing the chance they were captured alive).

The Lao communist faction, the Pathet Lao, stated on several occasions that
they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners, but the Pathet Lao were not included in the Paris Peace agreements ending American involvement in the war. As a consequence, no American POWs held in Laos were negotiated for, although American Servicemen handed over to the North Vietnamese were immediately taken to Hanoi. The Pathet Lao did not take prisoners, as they belived it was a burden upon themselves. Not one American held in Laos has ever been released. Reports continue to be received that Americans are alive today, being held captive. They deserve better than the abandonment they received by the country they proudly served.