An American Special Operations advisor stands with an indigenous allied soldier at a forward airstrip during a MACV-SOG cross-border reconnaissance operation. Heavily equipped with extraction rigging, ammunition, and grenades, teams like this conducted some of the most dangerous clandestine missions of the Vietnam War, including Operation Tailwind in September 1970. This photograph comes from the personal collection of Gene McCarley, who led the ground element during that operation. Project: 219515