Galen Beery

Nursing staff and U.S. leadership

Nursing staff and U.S. personnel at Ban Xon hospital. Some notables, third from left is, Choua Thao (USAID Chief Nurse). Far back row, L-R: Charles Mann (Director of USAID Laos), Unknown, George McMurtrie Godley (U.S. Ambassador to Laos). Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Child on bed in hospital

A hmong woman and child at the hospital in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Waiting at the hospital

People waiting outside of the hospital in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Loading the Porter

Workers load items into a Pilatus PC-6 Porter in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Ready to go home

Soldiers guarding the remains of a fallen Hmong soldier. The body is waiting to be delivered to their family where the rifle is then handed to the next person to take his place. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Medical attention

Medics tend to a wounded soldier at the hospital in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Albert Four's Garage

The auto repair center that was operated by a French man by the name of Albert Four. Albert had fought in WW2 against the Germans as a bazooka loader. He later then joined the French Foreign Legion and was taken prisoner at the fall of Dien Bien Phu. Afterwards, he left the Legion and married a Vietnamese woman, lived in Vietnam, and then later move to the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang, Laos. He later joined the USAID mission in Vientiane and became the chief mechanic in Samthong. There he worked under the late Edgar M. "Pop" Buell. After the war in 1979, as written in Steven Schofield's book, "Secret War in Laos: Green Berets, CIA, and the Hmong", Schofield last saw Four living in New Caledonia. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Viewing a fallen soldier

Soldiers gather around to see the remains of a Hmong soldier. The body is waiting to be delivered back to his family. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Two girls by a hut

Two Hmong girls in the village of Ban Koua Lek. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Lift off

Sikorsky H-34 taking off from the Ban Xon airstrip. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

All aboard

Passengers lining up to enter a Pilatus PC-6 Porter at Ban Xon. Flying was the preferred way of traveling. Some locations were only accessible by plane. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Crossroads

Pilatus PC-6 Porter parked at the airstrip in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Hospital patients

Hmong nurse reading and Hmong patients at hospital in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Posing for photo

Unknown Hmong man posing for a photo at Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Ban Khoua Lek market

Market at the village of Ban Khoua Lek outside of Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Market fire

Aftermath of the market fire at the village of Ban Khoua Lek, down the road from the Ban Xon airstrip. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Gathering items

An ethnic Lao woman and boy standing in front of a Jeep in Ban Xon. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994

Patiently waiting at airport

Hmong people waiting at the airstrip in Ban Xon. A Pilatus PC-6 Porter on the runway and a Sikorsky H-34 helicopter can be seen flying in the distance. Site: LS-272, Coordinates: TF 5994