Operation LAM SON 719 - The LAM SON 719 Tab was worn by aviation personnel of the 1^st Aviation Brigade during the operation. Operation LAM SON 719 was a limited-objective campaign conducted in the northwestern portion of South Viet Nam into western Laos by the armed forces of the Army of South Viet Nam (ARVN) between 8 February and 25 March 1971. The United States provided logistical, aerial and artillery support to the operation, however its ground forces were prohibited by law from entering Laotian territory. American Assault Helicopter Companies from the 48^th AHC Blue Stars and Jokers and the 176^th AHC Minutemen and Musket provided Airlift and Gunship support for the ARVN Troops. The objective of the campaign was the disruption of a possible future offensive by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) logistical supply route the Ho Chi Minh Trail in western Laos. The period before Operation LAM SON 719 begin while Peace Negotiations were being held the North Vietnamese Army took advantage of the opportunity and saturated western Laos with hundreds of Russian and Chinese Radar-Controlled Anti-Aircraft Artillery. During Operation LAM SON 719 the U.S. Army's 1^st Aviation Brigade lost one-hundred and six Helicopters and the U.S. Marines lost two of their big Sea Stallions Helicopters. Operation LAM SON 719 was a disaster and collapsed when faced by the determined resistance of a skillful foe decimating many of the ARVN's best units and destroying the confidence that had been build-up over the previous three years. LAM SON 719 and the signing of the Peace Accord that followed and the withdraw of all remaining American Forces was the beginning of the end for South Viet Nam.