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On February 10, 1971, news photographers (l-r) Keisaburo Shimamoto, Newsweek Henri Huet, AP Larry Burrows LIFE Magazine and Kent Potter, UPI, board a Vietnamese Huey helicopter in Lang Vei on the Vietnam-Laos border to cover Lam Son 719, a South Vietnamese invasion of Laos intended to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail. The chopper was shot down a few minutes later and exploded. It was the worst single loss of news media members during the Vietnam War. File Photo by Sergio Ortiz
Episode 2441 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature stories about the four photo-journalists who died in Laos during Operation Lam Son 719 and the repulse of Mongol invaders of Vietnam.
The featured stories come from the UPI website titled: On This Day: 4 photojournalists die in Vietnam War helicopter crash by UPI Staff and the We are the Mighty Website titled: How the Vietnamese fought off a series of Mongol invasions by Team Mighty.
Fifty three years ago today photo-journalists Keisaburo Shimamoto, Newsweek Henri Huet, AP Larry Burrows LIFE Magazine and Kent Potter, UPI, died in the Kingdom of Laos when the ARVN helicopter they were riding to the killing fields of battle was shot down by North Vietnamese gunners. We honor their memories and say RIP.
Upon this declaration the episode pivots to a history lesson that verifies Vietnam has always prevailed against invaders. He We are the Mighty story describes the four occasions when the Mongol trouble-makers thought they could take over the nation of Vietnam and make it a part of their empire. Much to their surprise the Vietnamese proved too tough for them to handle.
Fighting off the United States wasn’t Vietnam’s only against big invaders. The Vietnam War wasn’t even the country’s most recent win against a bigger, more powerful country. While Afghanistan gets a lot of credit for being the “Graveyard of Empires,” little Vietnam should be considered as a close second.
The Vietnamese had to deal with what many European and Asiatic empires had to deal with at some point: Mongol Invasions. The Mongols launched four invasions of what is today Vietnam, first in 1258, then between 1283–1284, in 1285 and finally 1287–88. But even the great Kubali Khan couldn’t fully subdue the Vietnamese.
Listen to episode 2441 and discover more about the four photo-journalists who died in Laos during Operation Lam Son 719 and the repulse of Mongol invaders of Vietnam.
