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One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam
One of the Vietnam War's most closely guarded secrets--a highly classified U.S. radar base in the mountains of neutral Laos--led to the disappearance of a small group of elite military personnel, a loss never fully acknowledged by the American government. Now, thirty years later, one book recounts the harrowing story--and offers some measure of closure on this decades-old mystery.
Because of the covert nature of the mission at Lima Site 85--providing bombing instructions to U.S. Air Force tactical aircraft from the "safe harbor" of a nation that was supposedly neutral--the wives of the eleven servicemen were warned in no uncertain terms never to discuss the truth about their husbands. But one wife, Ann Holland, refused to remain silent. Timothy Castle draws on her personal records and recollections as well as upon a wealth of interviews with surviving servicemen and recently declassified information to tell the full story.
The result is a tale worthy of Tom Clancy but told by a scholar with meticulous attention to historical accuracy. More than just an account of government deception, One Day Too Long is the story of the courageous men who agreed to put their lives in danger to perform a critical mission in which they could not be officially acknowledged. Indeed the personnel at Site 85 agreed to be "sheep-dipped"--removed from their military status and technically placed in the employ of a civilian company.
Castle reveals how the program, code-named "Heavy Green," was conceived and approved at the highest levels of the U.S. government. In spine tingling detail, he describes the selection of the men and the construction and operation of the radar facility on a mile-high cliff in neutral Laos, even as the North Vietnamese Army began encircling the mountain. He chronicles the communist air attack on Site 85, the only such aerial bombing of the entire Vietnam War.
A saga of courage, cover-up, and intrigue One Day Too Long tells how, in a shocking betrayal of trust, for thirty years the U.S. government has sought to hide the facts and now seeks to acquiesce to perfidious Vietnamese explanations for the disappearance of eleven good men.
Because of the covert nature of the mission at Lima Site 85--providing bombing instructions to U.S. Air Force tactical aircraft from the "safe harbor" of a nation that was supposedly neutral--the wives of the eleven servicemen were warned in no uncertain terms never to discuss the truth about their husbands. But one wife, Ann Holland, refused to remain silent. Timothy Castle draws on her personal records and recollections as well as upon a wealth of interviews with surviving servicemen and recently declassified information to tell the full story.
The result is a tale worthy of Tom Clancy but told by a scholar with meticulous attention to historical accuracy. More than just an account of government deception, One Day Too Long is the story of the courageous men who agreed to put their lives in danger to perform a critical mission in which they could not be officially acknowledged. Indeed the personnel at Site 85 agreed to be "sheep-dipped"--removed from their military status and technically placed in the employ of a civilian company.
Castle reveals how the program, code-named "Heavy Green," was conceived and approved at the highest levels of the U.S. government. In spine tingling detail, he describes the selection of the men and the construction and operation of the radar facility on a mile-high cliff in neutral Laos, even as the North Vietnamese Army began encircling the mountain. He chronicles the communist air attack on Site 85, the only such aerial bombing of the entire Vietnam War.
A saga of courage, cover-up, and intrigue One Day Too Long tells how, in a shocking betrayal of trust, for thirty years the U.S. government has sought to hide the facts and now seeks to acquiesce to perfidious Vietnamese explanations for the disappearance of eleven good men.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 10, 2024
A well-written and intriguing work.
The book covers the establishment of the site, the decisions made by the military, the State Department, the CIA, and the US embassy, the North Vietnamese attack on it, how the CIA and the military reacted to its loss, and how the families of the dead tried to gain more information in the face of CIA, Air Force, North Vietnamese and Laotian obfuscation. Castle also describes in some detail the arrangements used to disguise the Air Force technicians at the site as civilians, in order to follow the letter of the Geneva Accords while attempting to preserve their Geneva Convention rights. He also notes the difficulty of assessing whether the site actually contributed to a more effective bombing campaign.
Also good is Castle’s discussion of how audacious the plan was, and the questionable assumptions at play. Ambassador Sullivan, tasked with preserving the facade of Laotian neutrality, rejected the idea, and the CIA was skeptical, but a desperate Pentagon prevailed, due to the shortcomings of Rolling Thunder. The Lao government approved the operation based on American assurances that the program would be secret. Constructing and hiding a radar facility in plain sight in neutral Laos right on the border with North Vietnam, and keeping it resupplied, would prove quite the challenge, and the communists inevitably found out about it. Castle also notes that, in the end, the system was unable to even accomplish its primary mission of improving the accuracy and effectiveness of American strikes in North Vietnam. In fact, soon after it became operational, many of the targets the site turned up were communist forces who were operating against the site itself.
The book can be a bit tedious at times. Much of the narrative deals with interagency meetings and communications, some dealing with finger-pointing, some dealing with matters that don’t seem very important to the story. Also, the narrative of the site’s operations during the war is pretty smooth, but as soon as it shifts to the questions of MIAs, missing equipment and such, the book once again becomes tedious, including accounts of postwar investigations, and even personal accounts from the author himself. This shift in tone is a bit jarring.
Still, a well-researched and interesting work.
The book covers the establishment of the site, the decisions made by the military, the State Department, the CIA, and the US embassy, the North Vietnamese attack on it, how the CIA and the military reacted to its loss, and how the families of the dead tried to gain more information in the face of CIA, Air Force, North Vietnamese and Laotian obfuscation. Castle also describes in some detail the arrangements used to disguise the Air Force technicians at the site as civilians, in order to follow the letter of the Geneva Accords while attempting to preserve their Geneva Convention rights. He also notes the difficulty of assessing whether the site actually contributed to a more effective bombing campaign.
Also good is Castle’s discussion of how audacious the plan was, and the questionable assumptions at play. Ambassador Sullivan, tasked with preserving the facade of Laotian neutrality, rejected the idea, and the CIA was skeptical, but a desperate Pentagon prevailed, due to the shortcomings of Rolling Thunder. The Lao government approved the operation based on American assurances that the program would be secret. Constructing and hiding a radar facility in plain sight in neutral Laos right on the border with North Vietnam, and keeping it resupplied, would prove quite the challenge, and the communists inevitably found out about it. Castle also notes that, in the end, the system was unable to even accomplish its primary mission of improving the accuracy and effectiveness of American strikes in North Vietnam. In fact, soon after it became operational, many of the targets the site turned up were communist forces who were operating against the site itself.
The book can be a bit tedious at times. Much of the narrative deals with interagency meetings and communications, some dealing with finger-pointing, some dealing with matters that don’t seem very important to the story. Also, the narrative of the site’s operations during the war is pretty smooth, but as soon as it shifts to the questions of MIAs, missing equipment and such, the book once again becomes tedious, including accounts of postwar investigations, and even personal accounts from the author himself. This shift in tone is a bit jarring.
Still, a well-researched and interesting work.
June 4, 2020
Thoroughly researched account of an event that largely seems to have been forgotten in the history of the Vietnam War. Provides an interesting case study of the POW/MIA issue, especially in light of U.S. relations with Laos and Vietnam at the time of writing. Illuminates the lapse of judgment and errant decision-making of those involved at almost every juncture, from beginning to end. At times repetitive in its attempts to weigh the various, often contradicting pieces of information regarding the attack on Site 85 and subsequent cover-up.
May 21, 2011
This is a true account of a very little known operation/location (Lima site 85 Phou Pha Ti) during the Vietnam War. A family friend is one of the soldiers missing/killed/captured at Lima Site 85, so this book is giving me a deeper connection and understanding of this dark secret.
This book is very informative, which makes it very hard to read. A lot of details! It is a very sad, depressing account of the conscious decisions of our government to basically abandon the soldiers at Phou Pha Ti and then lie for generations about this event.
This book is very informative, which makes it very hard to read. A lot of details! It is a very sad, depressing account of the conscious decisions of our government to basically abandon the soldiers at Phou Pha Ti and then lie for generations about this event.
February 17, 2020
The tragic and true story of how the US government has covered up the truth of what happened on a Laotian mountaintop 52 years ago. Vietnam has the information to resolve this case but won’t provide it. The families of missing US airman still have no answers as to the truth of what happened to their loved ones. A shameful expose of deception, lying, incompetence and political expediency. Well written and exhaustively researched.
April 14, 2024
Good insight into the lengths the US government or any government will go to, just to make themselves safe and feel good - no matter the fear and unknowns that are left in their wake. If we think about today and the Covid /mrna / pharma fiasco -nothing is new.
The book is well written and thought over. In today, many families of Vietnamese and Laotians are present, and suspect many of them know more than the author learned outside of Laotian/ Vietnamese and US officials.
The book is well written and thought over. In today, many families of Vietnamese and Laotians are present, and suspect many of them know more than the author learned outside of Laotian/ Vietnamese and US officials.
March 14, 2019
Let’s say this is a true account of what happened. As far as the structure with how it was written, well it lacked any luster you’d think something as exciting this event would have. The writing was more that if a text book.
July 20, 2020
Loved this book. As a veteran of the Air Support community much of this book hits close to home. A sad history of our Air Force that shouldn't be forgotten.
April 18, 2024
Great book. Really enjoyed it as it had many parallels to my experience in the Air Force.
February 11, 2011
If you are looking for a book that epitomizes the stupidity of the United States Military during the Vietnam War, I doubt if you will find a better example than, "One Day Too Long".
In an effort to shorten the war, a decision was made to bomb Hanoi; the only problem was that weather conditions made it very difficult to bomb with any accuracy. Since "smart bombs" were a war away, the next best solution was to put a radar base close to Hanoi to guide our bombers. Even though Laos was a "neutral" country, the United States was permitted to secretly place a base on a mountain top, just miles from Hanoi.
The US recruited eleven men from the Air Force to man the site. They were sworn to secrecy and could not tell anyone, including their families, what their assignment was. The military also decided that they could not be military personnel, so these young men were released from the service and became employees of Lockheed Aircraft. Upon completion of their assignment they would be reistated into the military with no lose in time, money, or rank.
The movement of men and heavy machinery was easily discovered by the North Vietnamese Army and they started plans to overtake the American position. The US knowing this was happening, chose to leave these men on station. The site was overrun by the North Vietnamese and seven of the eleven were killed. This happened one day before they were to be evacuated.
This book was written in 1999 and the government cover-up continues to this day, both on the United States side and the Vietnamese side. The story brings out what went wrong in Vietnam. The inept policy making, battlefield decisions, and misinformation that led to disaster, giving the reader a telling insight to a microcosm of the war.
This book is now only available as a "used copy" and can be ordered online.
This book came to my attention due to a very favorable review on NPR.
In an effort to shorten the war, a decision was made to bomb Hanoi; the only problem was that weather conditions made it very difficult to bomb with any accuracy. Since "smart bombs" were a war away, the next best solution was to put a radar base close to Hanoi to guide our bombers. Even though Laos was a "neutral" country, the United States was permitted to secretly place a base on a mountain top, just miles from Hanoi.
The US recruited eleven men from the Air Force to man the site. They were sworn to secrecy and could not tell anyone, including their families, what their assignment was. The military also decided that they could not be military personnel, so these young men were released from the service and became employees of Lockheed Aircraft. Upon completion of their assignment they would be reistated into the military with no lose in time, money, or rank.
The movement of men and heavy machinery was easily discovered by the North Vietnamese Army and they started plans to overtake the American position. The US knowing this was happening, chose to leave these men on station. The site was overrun by the North Vietnamese and seven of the eleven were killed. This happened one day before they were to be evacuated.
This book was written in 1999 and the government cover-up continues to this day, both on the United States side and the Vietnamese side. The story brings out what went wrong in Vietnam. The inept policy making, battlefield decisions, and misinformation that led to disaster, giving the reader a telling insight to a microcosm of the war.
This book is now only available as a "used copy" and can be ordered online.
This book came to my attention due to a very favorable review on NPR.
September 9, 2012
Outstanding book, but I am biased as this is the story of my old unit in the Air Force. The men that went on this mission truly believed in what they were doing. Timothy Castle did a fantastic job getting our story out to the world! The men themselves unfortumately were their own worse enemy in the process. They gathered the night of the attack and opted to run one more night of missions instead of taking extraction the night before the attack. That was why Chief Etchberger, Captain Sliz, John Daniels, Springsteadah and one other airman ended up down on the ledge. They split the crew to the absolute minimum to run the last night and unfortunately the rest is history. I don't think anyone would have blamed the men had they destroyed the equipment and got on the chopper. To be honest it is the decision I wish they would have made. Many good men were lost up there that night and the families have suffered ever since. This information came from talking to John Daniels one of the survivors at Washington D.C. Sept 2010 when Chief Etchberger was awarded the Medal of Honor. I was assigned to 1CEVG 1974 to 1979 and then back in the unit for the rest of my career after a 2 year tour at the Tonopah Test Range working site 50 Call Sign Sierra 16 and got exposed to the existence of the Russian Mig Squadron.
January 26, 2009
A spellbinding book about a top secret covert operation in Laos during the Vietnam War involving US Air Force personnel.
January 31, 2009
Interesting to learn of the political and moral decisions made in this sad story.
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March 15, 2016paperback 6x9 lima site 85 pha thi laos
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews