Synopsis of oral history interview with Champa Nankati on June 3, 2010.

              Video Log
Champa Nankati
Vietnam War
Royal Lao Army
Born: 04/21/1949
Interview Date: 06/03/2010
Interviewed By: Eileen Hurst
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:47 Nankati was a Captain (O-3) serving in Region One in Northern Laos. He also toured through Region Two in Vientienne, the capital city of Laos. Nankati trained Hmong soldiers from Region Two.
00:02:47 Nankati’s father was also in the military, serving with the French Army at Dien Bien Phu. After the French withdrew from Indochina-Vietnam, his father became a policeman.
00:04:01 He was born in Western Laos and joined the military in 1967. He entered the military as an undercover official, monitoring opium production and infiltration for the United States and Royal Lao governments. He was recruited by the commander of the Laotian army as well as an American named“Sam.”
00:06:59 His job was to assess the facilities, report on their actions, and report to the American and Laotian governments. Burmese workers cooked opium and shipped it into Laos and Thailand.
00:09:00 He was part of a twelve man team that observed opium production in Burma and Laos. He watched their activities and reported to the Americans from 1967-71. He slept in the production camps for months at a time.
00:10:57 The Lao government needed young men for military service. At the time, the army was very popular for young men. The Royal Lao army as well as the US government paid good money for the SGU soldiers. For this reason, as well as patriotism, Nankati joined SGU Division 111. There, he served as an intelligence officer. He trained in Thailand for nearly six months under American and Thai instructors.
00:14:13 His intelligence training consisted of interviews and debriefings. He would interview enemy soldiers, as well as military families.
00:15:11 He went through basic training in Laos. Officer school consisted of weapons and leadership training, after which he was made a 2nd Lieutenant.