Flying Ravens - Unisex Comfort Colors Garment-Dyed T-shirt

This graphic tee design pays homage to the Ravens who secretly flew recon missions in Laos. These "Ravens" as they were called, were volunteers who were "separated" from the USAF so they could be a part of these denied missions in Laos. They flew in civilian clothes and often touted around with civilian documents with a cover story pointing to USAID or embassy staff positions. One of the main aircraft these Ravens flew was the Cessan O-1 Bird Dog. This aircraft was unarmed and flew low and slow over the enemy so the Forward Air Controller (FAC) could call in fighter jets and bombers. This design touts the O-1 Bird Dog with the US National Star Insignia however, in real life the O-1 Bird Dogs did not fly with any insignia, that way if they were shot down, the U.S. could deny any involvement.

At this time, the United States gave the overall secret air war in Laos the codename: Palace Dog. Under Palace Dog, two more important project/program names are worth mentioning: The Steve Canyon Program and Project 404. The Steve Canyon Program was the mechanism by which the FAC pilots were recruited and selected whereas, Project 404 was the legal/admin cover and prep that allowed the FAC to operate secretly in Laos as a Raven.