Hog’s Exit

It just didn’t sit right. The American Embassy had reported the accidental death of Jerry “Hog” Daniels by carbon monoxide poisoning. Three decades later, his family, friends, and coworkers remain unconvinced that the U.S. government told them the truth. A former CIA case officer during the “secret war” in Laos, Jerry Daniels was experienced, smart, and careful. Raising even more doubts, his casket was “Permanently Sealed” before being shipped home to Missoula, Montana, where he was honored with a three-day funeral ceremony organized by his former comrades-in-arms, the Hmong hilltribe warriors from Laos. First-person accounts from Americans and Hmong, ranchers and refugees, State Department officials and smokejumpers capture the life of “Hog” Daniels and offer speculation on the unsettling circumstances of his death. Equally important, Hog’s Exit is the first complete account in English to document the drama and beauty of the Hmong funeral process.