{"id":68324,"date":"2024-10-23T09:57:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T16:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=68324"},"modified":"2024-10-23T09:57:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T16:57:03","slug":"event-honors-hmong-sacrifice-during-americas-secret-war-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=68324","title":{"rendered":"Event Honors Hmong Sacrifice During America\u2019s Secret War"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Peter Schurmann<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Above: Surviving Hmong veterans of America\u2019s Secret War in Laos, which claimed between 35,000-40,000 lives, gathered for the May 18 event in Marysville, California commemorating Hmong-Lao Veterans Day. (Credit: Peter Schurmann)<\/em><\/p>\n

MARYSVILLE, Calif.<\/strong> \u2013 An event honoring Hmong veterans of the American Secret War in Laos was held Saturday in Marysville, about 40 miles north of Sacramento. Dozens of surviving veterans, alongside community activists and local dignitaries were on hand.<\/p>\n

The event is part of a decades-long effort to gain recognition for the Hmong community\u2019s sacrifice and their place in this little-known piece of American history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThousands died fleeing Laos on May 14,\u201d noted longtime community advocate Steve Ly. \u201cMay 15 was the day they became new Americans,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Ly served as mayor of Elk Grove, south of Sacramento, between 2016-2020 and was the country\u2019s first ethnic Hmong to serve in that position.<\/p>\n

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Hmong community advocate and former Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly addresses the crowd during an event honoring Hmong veterans of America\u2019s Secret War in Laos. (Credit: Peter Schurmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Between 35,000-40,000 Hmong were killed in a covert CIA operation intended to thwart communist forces during the height of fighting in Vietnam. The operation ran through both the Johnson and Nixon administrations and resulted in almost 2 million tons of ordinance dropped on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border, despite the latter being a neutral country. Congress was never informed.<\/p>\n

A ceasefire agreement was reached in 1973 and two years later the communist Pathet Lao took control of Laos. Thousands fled the country in the ensuing years, many arriving in America as refugees.<\/p>\n

Yet their contributions to the American war effort continue to go largely unrecognized. Hmong veterans, including those in attendance Saturday, are still not acknowledged by the federal government and do not receive VA benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Hmong soldier that fought and died and was wounded represents an American soldier that didn\u2019t have to go through that injury or death,\u201d said Yuba County Supervisor Seth Fuhrer, who delivered a proclamation on behalf of the county recognizing May 15 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day.<\/p>\n

California is home to the US\u2019s largest Hmong population, at roughly 95,000, with communities concentrated up and down the Central and San Joaquin valleys. Wisconsin, Minnesota and more recently Alaska and some southern states are also home to large Hmong populations.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s event, Honoring the Forgotten Heroes, was held at Veterans Park in Marysville, which welcomed one of the earliest waves of Hmong arrivals to the US in the late 1970s and early 80s. A large portrait of the late Gen. Vang Pao, who was instrumental in helping the CIA recruit Hmong fighters, adorns the stage behind the lectern.<\/p>\n

The event was organized by the non-profit Sacramento Hmong American Resources and Education (SHARE) and the Yuba-Sutter Hmong American Association.<\/p>\n

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Marie Vue, president of SHARE, and Kevin Xiong (L) have helped spearhead efforts for Hmong history to be included in California\u2019s school curricula. (Credit: Peter Schurmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMany people we talk to still don\u2019t know who the Hmong are,\u201d said SHARE President Marie Vue. \u201cThey still don\u2019t know why we\u2019re here. They think we\u2019re here as immigrants. We\u2019re actually refugees. And they don\u2019t understand the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vue continued, \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to get out there. This is who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of that effort involves incorporation of the Hmong experience into the public-school curricula for California high schools, an effort that got underway more than 20 years ago after the CIA declassified documents pertaining to the war.<\/p>\n

In 2003 state lawmakers approved AB 78 recommending inclusion of the Secret War in social studies textbooks. It took until 2018 for the recommendations to be added to the state\u2019s education codes. Yet today there is scant mention of this history in most classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need a whole chapter,\u201d stressed Kevin Xiong, president of the Hmong American Association and a leader in the effort pushing for Hmong inclusion in California classrooms. \u201cWe need a small lesson on who these people are. Why are they here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cWe were part of the war. We made sacrifices. We are part of you. Just recognize us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rob Gregor is the Yuba County Superintendent of Schools and has worked in education for more than three decades, during which time he hired the county\u2019s first Hmong administrator who would go on to become Yuba County\u2019s first Hmong principal.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome things go quickly, and some things go slowly,\u201d he remarked as to why Hmong history is still not being taught, noting the process often depends on \u201chow loud\u201d the voices are. \u201cAnd this one has not taken off as quickly as we would like to see.\u201d Still, he noted, \u201cI believe we will see momentum, especially in places like Fresno, Merced, Modesto,\u201d cities with sizable Hmong communities.<\/p>\n

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Chai Vang was recruited at 13 to fight in the war effort and was trained to fly reconnaissance missions spotting North Vietnamese locations. (Credit: Peter Schurmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That\u2019s welcome news for Chai Vang. Now in his 70s, Vang was a 13-year-old village boy when he was recruited by Gen. Pao to fight against communist forces for the CIA. He lifts up a book, Ravens, about the Hmong air reconnaissance pilots trained to fly spotting missions identifying North Vietnamese redoubts, and points to a photo of a young boy in fatigues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s me,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be here. It\u2019s an honor to be recognized. And to be known as someone who actually served the US military, especially considering all the friends and peers who have passed.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those deceased is Ly\u2019s own father.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the frustration with the Hmong community, and my personal story is the same, is my father used to tell me these cloak and dagger stories, and I thought he was nuts,\u201d he said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t occur to me that there was truth to this until a lot of the information was declassified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ly points to the miniature American flags lining the walkways, explaining how each represents a fallen Hmong soldier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a tendency on the part of the general public to just lump everyone together,\u201d he remarked. \u201cI am a firm believer that everyone has a story\u2026 one that, if you take the time to learn it, you begin to value the reasons why people are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the\u00a0California State Library<\/a>\u00a0in partnership with the\u00a0California Department of Social Services<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs<\/a>\u00a0as part of the\u00a0Stop the Hate<\/a>\u00a0program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to\u00a0CA vs Hate<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ByPeter Schurmann May 20, 2024 Above:...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=68324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68325,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68324\/revisions\/68325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=68324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=68324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=68324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}