Codename Mule: Fighting the Secret War in Laos for the CIA

Naval Institute Special Warfare Series

by James E. Parker Jr.

This compelling memoir provides unparalleled insight into the CIA's most extensive covert operation and the men who conducted it.

Genres: History, Military History, War

232 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

When the author was 15 years old he ran away from home, ending up in Havana, Cuba. His parents were not amused and not long after he returned he was enrolled in the Oak Ridge Military Academy for an attitude adjustment. There he learned discipline but he was still driven by a ramblin', rambunctious curiosity; summers he worked as a Myrtle Beach life guard. He went on to UNC/Chapel Hill, played lacrosse, flunked out, went with a couple of buddies down to Managua, Nicaragua but was chased out by what would become the Sandinistas. He flew to Florida, worked at a Miami hotel, returned to college for one more semester before dropping out to join the US Army.

Reviews

[Herald Birchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this book. I thought it was going to be a standard historical account of our involvement in Laos during the Vietnam War. It turned out to be a very personal diary-type account of life as a CIA operative before and during his deployment period. Really good read and well written.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to get information on how it was we were bombing Laos so heavily in the 60s and 70s that unexploded ordnance we dropped on those bombing raids is still killing people now, 40 years later. In this fascinating book, where I found myself unexpectedly charmed by the narrator and his cohorts, I learned that and more. James Parker (aka "Mule") tells a gripping story of behind-the-scenes activity against the North Vietnamese Army in a "side war" I never knew took place. There are US villains in this story, but they're not Mule and his guys. I got a whole new perspective -- plus perhaps a greater understanding of why we have no national program to get rid of these bombs and bombies. Then again, I also learned from this book that at least 99% of Americans have no way of knowing what their government is really up to at any given time...

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an early draft of this before Jim's editors cut it down and really enjoyed the overall story. This is really solid, first-person about the CIA's use of Hmong tribesmen to fight the NVA and Viet Cong operating in Laos during the Vietnam war. This is a rarely told aspect to the conflict with lessons that could have been applied to the early portion of the Afghanistan war, where US SOF troops with the CIA were recruiting from among hundreds of far-flung tribes to assist in expelling the Taliban and capturing the Al Qaeda leadership. Jim is a great story teller with a lot of humanity, wit, and humor. His early life story, which didn't make the final cut of the book, is worthy of it's own novel for the sheer volume of reckless and ridiculous exploits that somehow culminated in him fighting a covert war in Laos.

[Kevin English · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in Pakse in Southern Laos on my day of a 3 day tour off the country when I spotted this book for sale in a small coffee shop. I traded them another book for this one and finished it in about 3 days.

If you a good summary of the CIA's Secret War in Laos, this book is a great starting point. However, it is definitely has a Pro USA bias but what would expect from this kind of publisher. That aside, I enjoyed reading it.

I learned a few things.

First, the US never had ground troops in Laos but the CIA was essentially running the war there. The North Vietnamese had about 60,000 troops which eventually captured the famous Plain of Jars. While traveling, you often hear something that sounds like "The US was bombing the hell out of this poor county, Laos." The other side is, the North Vietnam essentially used the country to stage their troops.
Another thing you get from reading this is the CIA guys running this secret war did their job very well. The book portrays the human characteristics of these CIA guys (some were a bit crazy) and also describes the Hmong hilltribe guerrillas who were fighting with the CIA.

[Bryan Worra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Codename Mule is a first-person memoir of a CIA SOG paramilitary advisor during the war for Laos, (and one of the only ones).

Codename Mule is a very personal account that is filled at once with action, humor, and gravity.

I consider it essential reading for understanding many of the human elements of the war from the US perspective.

One might best read it alongside other oral history accounts such as Gayle Morrisson's Sky Is Falling, or the work of Kenneth Conboy to understand where James E. Parker's story fits into the larger picture.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read, been through the plane of Jars and can still see today the remnants of the bombs and craters that verify the secret war and the secret city Long Chen - at once the largest airport in the world. Any one interested in Laos history and the Vietnam war should read this. Flies in the face of Nixon claiming: We are not in Laos.

[Britta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly I ordered this book thinking it was another book entirely, so it's on me for not bothering to check that. Of course, I read it anyway, and as I had hoped in seeking out a book of this title, it did give me the crash-course education of the CIA’s war in Laos that I’d been wanting. There’s definitely a heavy US bias in this book, and I would’ve been interested to get some more diverse perspectives on the matter, but James E. Parker is a good writer and provides some interesting stories about life within the CIA.

[D. L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly well written, satisfying, and very interesting group of stories in the "everyday" life of an agency guy in Laos in the 70's. An adventure filled and insightful look at a time and place few people consider.