sentences:  Branfman was working as an educational advisor for the U.S. government in Laos, when in September 1969 thousands of refugees fled into the Laotian capital of Vientiane.Working as a translator for international media, he began to interpret thousands of villagers' stories, telling of planes dropping bombs.Told by U.S. officials in Laos that Americans had nothing to do with the bombs, Branfman became consumed with the desire to understand what was happening.