Throughout the course of the Vietnam War, specifically from 1964 to 1973, the United States secretly bombed Laos more than any country in the world. The U.S. dropped 270 million bombs on Laos over the course of nine years as part of the largest covert CIA operation in U.S. history.
One third of the bombs that were dropped did not explode upon impact and lay littered around Laos—a total of 80 million unexploded ordnance (UXO). They continue to kill and maim innocent civilians on a regular basis—40 percent of victims are children. Teams in Laos are working to find, detonate, and destroy UXO, yet, due to lack of funding and the insurmountable number of UXO, they have only managed to destroy less than 1 percent to date. Once kept a secret from the American people, the U.S. "Secret War" in Laos has now been acknowledged by the U.S. government, and with new funding for clearing UXO there is hope for a better future.
Through cathartic, shocking and sobering stories, "This Little Land of Mines" allows Laotians to tell the story of what happened and how they are working to clear UXO. The result is a powerful call to action for the future.
