Nakhon Phanom 56th Commando Wing - White COTTON The civil war inside Laos

The civil war inside Laos and fears of it spreading into Thailand led the Thai government to allow the United States to covertly use five Thai bases beginning in 1961 for the air defense of Thailand and to fly reconnaissance flights over Laos

Steadily progressing and adding to the mission

from which they were ultimately discharged when recovered enough to return to duty with their units

C-130H Hercules airlift aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters

4181st) were assigned

Nakhon Phanom 56th Commando Wing - White COTTON The civil war inside LaosThe Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base (NKP), formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is approximately 587 km (365 mi) northeast of Bangkok, 14. 5 km (9. 0 mi) west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the northeastern region of Thailand, and 411 km (255 mi) from Hanoi in Vietnam. The Mekong River is NKP's border with Laos. The airfield at NKP is