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Kickers: a novel of the Secret War
Laos, 1961. The Communist Pathet Lao threatens a takeover of Laos with Russian military support. With Cold War tensions high, newly-elected President Kennedy considers military intervention in the small Southeast Asia country. Fearing that military confrontation will lead to nuclear escalation, he instructs the CIA to fight a secret counterinsurgency using surrogate assets. To the CIA secret means "nobody knows about it except the people we are killing."
The intelligence agency chooses as it surrogates for the war barefoot Meo tribesmen and brash college-age firefighters working as summertime smokejumpers.
For smokejumpers Thanasis, Charlie, and Dog the CIA's offer brings excitement, damn good money, and off-duty hours are spent at the notorious Lulu's in Vientiane. It's a sweet adventure for the three young men until they realize the CIA is willing to sacrifice both smokejumpers and Meo to control Laos.
Reminiscent of Tim O'Brien's book The Things They Carried, Patrick Lee's KICKERS is based on true accounts from smokejumpers who fought in a treacherous thirteen-year war three presidents denied ever happened. It sets a new standard for Cold War novels.
