Lost over Laos: A True Story of Tragedy, Mystery, and Friendship

In 1971, as American forces hastened their withdrawal from Vietnam, a helicopter was hit by enemy fire over Laos and exploded in a fireball, killing four top combat photographers: Larry Burrows of Life magazine, Henri Huet of Associated Press, Kent Potter of United Press International, and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek. The remoteness of the crash site made a recovery attempt impossible. When the war ended four years later, the war zone was sealed off and the helicopter incident faded from the headlines. But two journalist colleagues-the authors of this book-returned to Laos twenty-seven years later to resolve mysteries about the crash and pay homage to their lost friends.

Richard Pyle covered the Vietnam War for the Associated Press for nearly five years and was bureau chief in Saigon from 1970 to 1973. Now based in New York, he covers politics and breaking news for the AP.