Remembering Fred Branfman

The Man That Told America

From the desk of Danae Hendrickson

Xieng Khouang Airport, Laos, photo by Kayleb Lee, Legacies of War

“You’ll feel it in the air,” Aleena said with her eyes closed and head slightly raised toward the sunlight, “it’s cooler and it smells like the mountains.” I sat next to my colleague and looked out the window and down on the rapidly changing landscape of Laos below. I was looking for bomb craters. All at once, they started to appear some were small and some were large. Over 50 years after they were formed by American bombs, they had all found new purposes as fishing holes and small ponds. I stepped off the plane in Xieng Khouang, home of The Plain of Jars, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. She was right–the air was different.

Today, September 24, marks ten years since the passing of American journalist, author, and peace activist Fred Branfman. As the daughter of a Lao refugee, his legacy has made an enormous impact on my life.

Ban Pha Khao : Fred Branfman, 1969, Laos, photo by Halpern, Joel M. (Joel Martin) from Halpern Laotian Slide CollectionSoutheast Asian images & Texts, University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center

Fred arrived in Laos in 1967 as an aid worker with the International Voluntary Service (IVS),three years into a U.S. air war that was kept secret from the American people and the world. After speaking with survivors, Fred learned of the bombings and made it his mission to do what he could to help bring an end to them. Over the next few years, Fred and his Lao colleague, Bouangeun Luangpraseuth, collected illustrations and narratives from refugees in Laos. These pieces depict what the survivors, men, women and children, had witnessed: villages and schools on fire, chemical warfare, mass graves, and livelihoods that were demolished.

Illustration 0037 from The Originals, Legacies of War

In 1971, two years before the bombing ceased in Laos, Fred returned to the United States and launched two peace groups: Project Air War and the Indochina Resource Center. In April of the same year, Senator Teddy Kennedy invited him to testify at a Senate Hearing on the bombings of Laos. Contrary to U.S. Ambassador William Sullivan’s testimony, who stated that the U.S. was not targeting civilians in Laos, Fred shared his experience of speaking to over 1,000 refugees in Laos who had reported that their villages had been destroyed from the bombings. “The evidence is clear,” said Fred, “that the U.S. is conducting the most protracted bombing of civilian targets in history.”

Despite the extreme challenges that Fred faced–doubt, disbelief, dismissal, and denial–he led a peace movement that continued to call on the United States to stop its bombing campaign on Laos. In 1972, Fred edited a collection of the illustrations and narratives by refugees in Laos into a book, “Voices from the Plain of Jars”, which highlighted the devastation of the air war. The last reported U.S. bombs fell on Laos one year later, in 1973. 

In the late 70s, Fred learned of the ongoing crisis that Laos was facing from unexploded ordnance (UXO). An estimated 80 million cluster submunitions that were dropped during the nine-year bombing campaign failed to detonate and continue to injure innocent civilians in Laos.

In 2003, Fred received an email from Channapha Khamvongsa, a Lao American woman who shared the story of how she had recently met a colleague of his, John Cavanagh, who had been an intern at the Indochina Resource Center and was now director of the Institute for Policy Studies. John had been keeping the illustrations Fred had helped collect in his office all this time and upon meeting Channapha, had felt compelled to tell her about them. It was because of the illustrations that Channapha then learned about the American bombings on Laos. Together, Fred and John decided to hand over the illustrations to Channapha with one request: “Do something with them.” This inspired her to found Legacies of War, which is dedicated to furthering awareness of the American bombings in Laos as well as advocating for increased U.S. government funding to address the unexploded ordnance crisis there. 

Left to Right: Channapha Khamvongsa, Fred Branfman, Bouangeun Luangpraseuth, Legacies of War

Fred Branfman sitting among UXO in Laos, 2008, Legacies of War

Over the next 15 years, thanks to the terrific work of Legacies of War, Channapha witnessed a historic increase in U.S. government funding for demining and survivor assistance in Laos, growing steadily from less than $3M in 2004 to $30M in 2019 when she retired as Executive Director. Channapha passed the baton to Sera Koulabdara, a Lao American who was also born in Laos. Legacies of War has continued to build upon the strong foundation of peace and truth-telling laid by Fred, John, and Channapha. U.S. funding for humanitarian demining worldwide is at its highest level in history ($264M) with bipartisan support from Congress, and in 2023, Sera was elected to serve as the Chair of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions Coalition (USCBL-CMC), a group that leads the call for the U.S. to sign on to mine ban treaties and ban cluster munitions. Though much progress has been made, there is still a long road ahead for countries like Laos. Less than 10% of the contaminated land in Laos has been cleared for safe use and civilians, mainly children, continue to be injured or killed.

The illustrations continue to be a cornerstone of Legacies of War’s educational programming. Legacies Library, a digital library that contains a vetted list of books, articles, and films for the American public to learn more about the American Secret War contains digital versions of the illustrations or “The Originals” as they have been titled. They are utilized during Legacies of War’s community events, tours, and talks to continue to share the truth  about the American Secret War in Laos. Fred showed the world that stories from survivors of war should not only be heard, but believed. Sharing our truths can end war. 

This year, I will celebrate three years of working with Legacies of War. As lead of communications, I have spent countless hours going through old photo albums. Many of these photos include Fred alongside Channapha and supporters of Legacies making their way through Laos in the back of pickups, hiking through caves, holding early morning and late night meetings with stakeholders, and finding healing along the way. 

I have bittersweet feelings when I look at these adventures. The same disease that ended Fred’s life–Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease–took my mother’s. This incurable disease takes your body and leaves your mind fully intact. I imagine that Fred spent those years after his diagnosis thinking quite a bit about his time in Laos, what he witnessed there, and what he wanted. I know my mother did. I wish that they both could see me now, a product of their sacrifices, filled with hope and determination for a more peaceful future. 

Growing up, my mother rarely spoke about her childhood in Laos, and I now understand why. The memories were too painful to revisit. However, through the efforts of Fred Branfman and Bouangeun Luangpraseuth, the stories of life in Laos before, during, and after the bombings have been preserved and protected. Their work has given me the pieces to understand what my mother and so many others may have endured, allowing me to begin healing from the wounds of war.

For the generations of diaspora from Laos who may never learn this history due to the trauma it carries, these preserved illustrations and stories will be met with deep gratitude. Later this year, Legacies Library will launch a comprehensive timeline that covers critical events during the American Secret War in Laos, as well as key moments before and after the conflict.

In honor of their dedication, Legacies of War is proud to name this historic timeline after Fred Branfman and Bouangeun Luangpraseuth. The Fred Branfman and Bouangeun Luangpraseuth Timeline of The American Secret War in Laos will soon be available at https://www.legaciesofwar.org/legacies-library.

Fred Branfman, Xieng Khouang, Laos, 2008, Legacies of War