Battle for Skyline Ridge

... A very well-researched and annotated story of the history and development of the American attempt to fight the communist Pathet Lao during the Vietnam War. -- The VVA Veteran ...an excellent choice for both the scholar and the student who want to better understand less famous aspects of the Vietnam conflict. -- Military Review A rare look into the first substantive insider account of the largest covert military operations the CIA has ever run, including significant material heretofore classified CIA Top Secret - somber, provocative, vivid, and memorable. -- Leatherneck Magazine Battle for Skyline Ridge presents a sweeping account of the 'secret war'in Laos, from the beginning in 1961 until the ceasefire in 1973. This book is perfect for anyone interested in both the battle for Skyline Ridge itself and the mechanics of how a small band of CIA officers helped to form Vang Pao's private army. --New York Journal of Books Parker has created an incredibly powerful account of a little-known chapter in the Vietnam War saga. Expertly written with a touch of the personal to remind readers that the author was a participant in these dramatic events, this is an excellent choice for readers interested in the wider Vietnam conflict, Cold War paramilitary history, and the CIA's role in it all. -- Booklist Parker's greatest strength is his firsthand knowledge of the subject matter. Interspersed throughout the narrative are incidents the author personally witnessed, thus contributing a weight of authority and giving the reader a sense of being there in a way few military histories are capable of matching. -- HistoryNet This is more than just the story of a campaign, or even a single battle. What Parker gives us is an incredibly detailed, inside account of how the CIA covert action in Laos was established, managed, and supplied. -- Journal of Military History This work is a welcome addition to the pantheon of books being published in the last couple of decades to finally peel back the curtain of secrecy and contribute to the wider understanding of America's involvement in the secret war. --Joseph D. Celeski, The Green Berets in the Land of a Million Elephants The endnotes of Battle for Skyline Ridge boast interviews and conversations that he held with old friends and colleagues with whom he served in the Laos operations to piece together the chronology of key events. Many of the details included in this book likely would have been lost to historians forever without the efforts of Parker and his former colleagues. -- International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence