Laos, Weapon of War.
Weapons of war slowly rust in the moist heat within the heart of the country of Laos. An effort to clean up the country has taken over 20 years. It is said that if you put the first and second world war together and the amount of weapons that were used between these two wars, Laos completely exceeded that. Reports indicate that between 1968 and 1971, B52s carpet-bombed Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in hope of slowing the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) down. In 1971 President Nixon gave the order to send in troops into Laos to stop the supply of weapons that were being transported down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Sanctions that prohibited American boots from setting foot on Laosian soil meant that the Americans had to train the South Vietnamese Army to be combat ready.
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and a handful of American advisers entered Laos with the intention of stopping the NVA. The mission meant that the ARVN would be in full control. Over 30,000 troops entered Laos and headed towards a town called Tchepone, about 43kms from the Vietnamese broader. Tchepone in which the Americans believe that this was a major supply depot to the North Vietnamese Army which are known as the Viet Cong (VC), the Americans sent in B52 bombers as well as attack aircrafts, tanks and many helicopters in support of the ARVN. As fierce fighting broke out against the ARVN and the NVA, Americans were forced into rescuing the South Vietnamese troops from being overrun, and due to the fact that there was a break down in high command within the ARVN. By the time that the battle concluded, over 3800 ARVN had been killed, and 253 Americans died, and over 1100 wounded in the Lam Son Operation inside Laos.
Since 1966, over 630,000 men, 100,000 tons of foodstuffs, 400,000 weapons, and 50,000 tons of ammunition had traveled through the maze of gravel and dirt roads, paths, and river transportation systems that crisscrossed alone the Ho Chi Minh trail in southeastern Laos, the estimation of the amount of bombs dropped in the Vietnam war including Laos and Cambodia is a staggering 7 million tons.
Young boy finds an old unexploded bomb shell 20km from the Vietnamese border, from the 60s to the 70s America took a keen interest in Vietnam, but the war saw the surrounding countries start to become involved, in the late 60's America sent every thing they could spare to this one little location inside of Laos.
Children play on an old American tank inside Laos close to the Vietnam border, as the American's where not meant to be in Laos, the American's had to rely on the newly trained South Vietnamese army.
It was a mess, the American's underestimated the South Vietnamese Army strength and had to make a hasty retreat, in this area theres none to be up to 57 American's and up to 30 thousand NVA still missing in this area.
A young Laotian Boy plays around a hut that is being held up by 2000Ib bombs. The Lao people have an amazing way of utilizing everything even when it comes to old weapons.
Unknown to the Americans at the time that the North Vietnamese Army was using their sistering country of Laos as a supply route known as the Ho Chi Minh trail, this trail was used to bring down tons of bombs and weapons to support the NVA. In this picture is a Russian made sandy missile that was found on the very Southern boarder of Laos, this weapon was facing towards Ho Chi Minh City.
Local Laotain black smith shapes metal on an old canon shell casing.
UXO deminers find a 2000 pound bomb shell.
As UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) sweeps through a village demining bombs, local village people and children block their ears, as some weapons need to be detonated on the spot as they become more volatile the longer they sit in the Jungle.
Young boy stands beside his mother after a land mine detonated in their village.
Children are more likely to fall victims to unexploded ordnance to the lack of education sounding the problem of the war that took place in Southeast Asia.
A nurse watches over a young girl that needs to have an operation to remove metal from her body due to a weapon detonating.
A young woman scared for life after a weapon had detonated close to her face.
Mr Nounta lost his lower left leg to a land mine in 1964 whilst fighting alongside the Americans.
Mr Nounta waits patiently as his new leg is adjusted to suit his way of walking in his everyday life.
C.O.P.E, Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise, is the only company that is operating inside Laos that makes prosthetic limbs for landmine victims.
Mr Nounta tests his new leg. Every 3 years he needs to replace his prosthetic leg, due to wear and tear.
Reminded of moments Mr Nounta just sits in the darkness of his old home change smoking.
My life as an army officer during the war in Vietnam was tuff, but the moment i stood on that land mine it changed everything for me, the army let me go as i could not perform my duties no longer, without support from the army i needed to survive the best way i knew how, i went into farming and have so for the last 30 years of my life Mr Nounta told me.
Mr Nounta shows a painted portrait of himself in military uniform.
An old shell lies at the feet of Mr Nounta, as a reminder of the war in Southeast Asia.