Despite a fresh head wound, this Montagnard soldier of a MACV-SOG reconnaissance or exploitation force breaks into laughter as he walks to safety — a powerful image of resilience captured during or immediately after Operation Tailwind, the September 1970 cross-border raid into Laos led on the ground by Gene McCarley. Photographs like this one, part of the McCarley Collection compiled for the historical record of the operation, capture the human cost and extraordinary courage of the indigenous troops who fought alongside American Special Forces advisors. Project: 219477