BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Bob Charters has lived most of his life with the secret knowledge that he contributed to the Vietnam War.
Some 40 years later, Charters is still fighting — to stave off advancing cancer and to get recognition for the largely untold and misunderstood history of civilian pilots who flew covert CIA missions in Laos and Vietnam.
What little exposure the secret airline has gotten has come from books and the 1990 Mel Gibson movie "Air America," which is reviled by the real pilots. Few have heard the first-hand stories of the civilian pilots and the missions of Air America — a front corporation for the CIA.
But earlier this month, the CIA released 10,000 pages of previously classified documents that detail Air America's secret missions.
Many of those missions were harrowing — from rescuing downed pilots under enemy fire to ferrying humanitarian supplies, ammunition and soldiers.
But unlike their military counterparts, Air America's pilots didn't get medals or commendations.
"We were paid well," Charters said. "But the only thing we got were the (typewriter) ribbons that printed out our checks."
These days, Charters tells his own story with 40 years of pent-up emotion.
"The Air America pilots, they aren't looking for publicity; they just want it clarified that we served," Charters said.
His home and 68-year-old body are an homage to his time as an Air America pilot. An Air America flag flies over his garage. During a recent interview with the Idaho Statesman, he wore a hat and shirt with the Air America logo (and suspenders with the Shriners logo).
An Emmett farm boy, Charters was something of a troublemaker. He got the flying bug as a boy when a local fruit farm owner took him up in his airplane.
Charters graduated from Emmett High School and in 1959 made his way into the Army National Guard. He became a first lieutenant and then a pilot and flight instructor with the Texas Guard.
In the midst of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, Charters heard about the staggering $50,000 annual salary Air America pilots were making in Southeast Asia.
He and other instructors signed up and went for training in Washington, D.C. They were told to keep quiet.
"We knew we were going to do dangerous work, but we couldn't tell anyone about it," Charters said. "Fear had no place in our hearts. We thought we could live forever."
Charters found himself as an unarmed civilian helicopter pilot in Vietnam in the middle of the 1968 Tet Offensive, a massive military campaign by the Viet Cong in September 1968.
He quickly learned the terrain in order to ferry embassy officials, soldiers, supplies and Vietnamese people. He relied on information from the Green Berets about enemy locations to keep himself safe.
Air America's pilots were known for their bravery and for adhering to the "pilot's creed," Charters said. That meant dropping whatever else you were doing to pick up a downed pilot.
Charters won't discuss this in detail because Air America pilots weren't supposed to endanger themselves and their aircraft. But he admits he rescued shot-down military pilots in Vietnam.
"That's how the people were. We looked out for each other," Charters said.
He later transferred to Thailand and flew missions in Laos. He made the change after a divorce to keep his son, Brandt, with him.
"It was more dangerous, though," Charters said. "In Laos, we were the military. Laos did not have troops on the ground. It was the CIA and us."
It was in Laos in 1969 that Charters had his most heartbreaking experience as an Air America pilot.
Charters and a co-pilot were ferrying soldiers and "anything else we could haul" (read: ammunition) into combat. Before the mission, Charters offered the main pilot's seat to co-pilot Bill Gibbs.
"All of the sudden the helicopter jerks, and Bill lurched forward. I thought he had a heart attack," Charters said.
Charters took the stick and steered the chopper out of the area. After landing, "I pulled the window out and I saw the blood run out of his helmet," Charters said.
Gibbs had been shot in the head and soon died. Charters later apologized to Gibbs' wife for swapping seats.
"She said, 'Bill loved flying with you because you switched seats,'" Charters said as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Years later, I had to explain to his daughter what happened."
Charters eventually had enough of the danger and headed home to Idaho with his son. Over the years he worked as a commercial helicopter pilot, a pilot in the Idaho National Guard, and a postal worker.
He's been married twice more. The third marriage, to Phyllis, has lasted 25 years and brought with it stepchildren and grandchildren.
Charters, who is now retired and fighting colon cancer that has spread to his lungs, still relives his days as an adrenaline-soaked pilot.
During an interview last week, Charters shuffled into a back room in his immaculate Nampa home and returned carrying an imposing black jewelry box.
He cracked the lid and gingerly pulled out a gold linked bracelet that weighs more than a pound and has a tell-tale medallion — the symbol for Air America's pilots and a bargaining chip to use with potential captors.
The bracelet is part of Charters' collection of Vietnam-era memorabilia, which includes photos, patches and pilot's licenses.
With the CIA's release of classified information and a recent ceremony that publicly acknowledged Air America's secret missions, Charters said it was time to come forward.
"I'm very honored to have worked for Air America and very proud," Charters said.