Cambodia - 1972

On April 18, 1972, I was assigned to fly a mission to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from my airbase in Vietnam to support the US Embassy in Cambodia. We flew several embassy personnel to a small village near Lake Tonle Sap, went to an area near Kompong Thom and picked up three NVA prisoners and returned to Phnom Penh. On the way back, we determined that we would run out of fuel before reaching the airport. Through gallant efforts of Cambodian officials, we found a small village which had a cache of Jet fuel hidden in a bunker in the event of an emergency. We used the four barrels for our two helicopters and safely returned to Phnom Penh. At the time, US military personnel were prohibited from operating in Cambodia.

Produced and photographed by James David Phenicie

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Carlsbad, CA

Filmed in 1972 in Cambodia and South Vietnam on a Canon Super 8mm using Kodak films; stills were shot on a Nikkormat 35mm using Kodachrome film. The film was digitally scanned for reproduction.

Music: Khmer Musicians; Simplcitious (CC)