Political Quotes

“I rise to speak of a largely unknown aspect of the Vietnam war and a too neglected aspect. I rise to highlight Air America and its role in military conflicts from the 1940s through the Cold War. Air America, which was previously known as the Civil Air Transport, operated under a shroud of mystery, intrigue, and, at times, purposeful deceit to allow the organization to continue covert operations. Its members lived the motto ``Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Professionally.'' Now, if you would look at this picture, you would think that this must be an Army helicopter pilot performing a rescue on an active battlefield. No, that pilot was a civilian. He was a contractor of sorts with the U.S. Government and was flying that helicopter to rescue that soldier or that marine, not an enlisted person. Its members, again, lived the motto ``Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Professionally,'' including rescuing those from battlefields. They garnered respect as cargo and charter airline pilots during the Secret War in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s. As the war progressed, the U.S. Government increasingly relied on Air America pilots to conduct search-and-rescue missions of downed U.S. military pilots--often in heavy combat areas with no weapons of their own. The daily risks that they took to save others earned them the reputation as being the most shot at airline.…”