'The Greatest Hero of the Vietnam War'General Vang Pao (The Hmong Legendary and Iconic leader) was born on December 8, 1929 in Nonghet, a village in northeas. This army fought with the US troops in the long, losing campaign against . The one non-Hmong person among the nine arrested, Harrison Jack, a 1968 West Point graduate and retired Army infantry officer, allegedly attempted to recruit Special Operations veterans to act as mercenaries in an invasion of Laos. After WWII, French GCMA authorities recruited Vang Pao as an officer during the First Indochina War to combat the Viet Minh. The general had been hospitalized for about 10 days, Clovis Community Medical Center Michelle Von Tersch spokeswoman said. Vang Pao was born on December 8, 1929, in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos. York: Temple UP, 1994. This included the Lao Veterans of America, the Center for Public Policy Analysis and others. He was also known as General Vang Pao to the people in the Hmong community. Vang Pao, the former general and leader of his Hmong ethnic group in Laos, has died in exile in the US, aged 81. With the help of . hide caption. They were among the more than 1 million Southeast Asian refugees who resettled in the U.S. following the end of the Southeast Asian conflicts that the U.S. was involved in. [2] He was a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. Tens of thousands died, both in the fight and in the escape. Col. Wangyee Vang (right) president of the Lao Veterans of America Institute, reunites with other veterans at the funeral procession for Gen. Vang Pao. [73][74][75], In March 2011, following Vang's death, the CPPA issued an editorial, published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, critical of the decision by the U.S. Secretary of the Army not permitting Vang's burial in Arlington National Cemetery. Chan. He became a sergeant in the French colonial army, and, in 1954, an officer in the army of the newly independent Laos. At that time, during the war, it's either they kill me or I kill them, he told NBC Asian America through his son, Toufu Yang. Thousands from the Hmong community line the streets as the general's body is transported on a horse-drawn carriage to Fresno's convention center for the funeral. Family, friends and members of the Hmong community crowd the Fresno Convention Center for the funeral. I tell them I promise to be the keeper of their stories, so they smile proudly and agree to meet again soon. Some historians argue that he allowed his "secret army" to be used as cannon-fodder, played as pawns on a CIA geopolitical chessboard. Arrest Uncovers Divide in Hmong-Americans - The New York Times Some have called him the "George Washington of the Hmong." You dont have a Christian Science Monitor The Christian Science Monitor has expired. Smith was a long-time friend of Vang Pao and many Laotian and Hmong American community leaders. He died on Jan. 6 at age 81. [53], On 9 March 2009, Vang's lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. Vang Pao, a revered former general in the Royal Army of Laos who led thousands of Hmong guerrillas in a CIA-backed secret army during the Vietnam War, has died. Following Vang's arrest, Smith advocated in Washington, D.C. for the case to be dropped against Vang and other Hmong leaders. Some died in battle. His military career began in the French colonial army that fought the Japanese and then Lao nationalists. Jane Hamilton-Merritt (1993 - Indiana University Press ). Later, he fell under suspicion by both Hmong groups who supported the Royal Lao Government (including members of Vang Pao's army) and by those Hmong who supported the communist Pathet Lao. Later, as a major general he commanded the Royal Lao Army's Military Region II, which he fought to . His fellow friends, including Hmong, Mienh, Lao, Vietnamese, and Americans individuals who knew Vang protested the arrests, rallying in California, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, said Vang did not express any embarrassment over this cheating. Former Hmong Gen. Vang Pao (right) in May 2000 during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. KaYing Yang, director of programs and partnerships at the nonprofit Coalition of Asian American Leaders, who is Tou Long Yang's niece, called the deportations unjust, and a betrayal of the United States and its duties to refugees. Vang Pao ( RPA: Vaj Pov [v p], Lao: ; 8 December 1929 - 6 January 2011) [1] was a major general in the Royal Lao Army. Vietnam People's Army forces were also involved with military attacks on the Hmong people in Laos and illegal logging activities driving many Hmong from their mountain homelands. In the mid-1990s, Vang Pao, aided by influential American diplomatic allies and vast numbers of Hmong-Americans, halted forced United Nations-sponsored repatriation back to Laos of thousands of Hmong refugees in Thailand. Some allege she was poisoned so other clans could offer VP their daughters for political reasons. He said he spoke briefly with family members, who were planning a memorial service, but had no details on what caused Vang Pao's death. Thousands Gather To Mourn Hmong Leader Vang Pao : NPR Vang began his early life as a farmer until Japanese forces invaded and occupied French Indochina in World War II. Commanding tens of thousandsof Hmong men and women, Vang Pao conducted direct missions against communistforces. Vang Pao: The general who wouldn't give up the battle Many Hmong had participated in numerous protests over several weeks in California and elsewhere, calling for Pao's release from the date of his incarceration until his release under bail nearly a month later. You see, the Vietnam War took place in my family's backyard. Later, in the United States, he was so revered that some of his people believed he had supernatural powers. The Thailand-based refugees, many of whom had been living in refugee camps at Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist temple in Thailand, were afforded the right to avoid the forced return to Laos and instead were offered relocation rights and assistance to the U.S. Although French forces lost the war, Vang remained in the army of the newly independent Kingdom of Laos. Vang Pao and the other Hmong were also initially denied bail by the California federal court, which cited each of them as a flight risk. Air America pilots have since admitted that their planes not only transported rice, bullets and weapons, but also sacks of opium grown by the Hmong villages. Hmong general denied Arlington burial [50] On 18 June 2007, the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education voted to drop Vang's name from the new school, in light of the federal charges against him and the previous allegations. Tens of thousands were killed during the war, and even more lost their lives while attempting to escape to freedom after the war ended. On March 9, 2009, Vang Paos lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. VP, as he was known to the CIA, personally trained thousands of irregular soldiers. PRESSZOOM (2 January 2009), U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos. [21][22] (Smith, a foreign policy, human rights and legislative affairs specialist, serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis. This covert war was also waged with the assistance of B-52 aerial bombardments and regular supply flights from Air America, a commercial airline fronting for the CIA, which flew in food and ammunition to mountain helipads cut out of the jungle. you are agreeing to our, We underestimated China, US official says after reports of J-20 stealth fighter, Defense budget: to cut $100 billion, Army and Marines will shrink, Spain welcomes Chinese investment even with strings attached, One month free trial to the Monitor Daily. CN&R The amazing life of Vang Pao subscription yet. Major General Vang immigrated to the United States after the communists seized power in Laos in 1975. Lianne Milton for NPR Kingsley Yang ties on an armband during the funeral procession. Vang Pao, who died this week in Clovis, California, was the leader of the CIA's so-called "Secret Army" in Laos-a force of some 100,000 Hmong (pronounced "Mung") guerrillas that between 1960 and 1975 kept four crack Vietnamese divisions tied down in the Laotian Highlands north of the Plain of Jars and off the backs . When I turn on my recorder, she says this is her chance to become famous. Vang Paos fellow friends, including Hmong, Mienh, Lao, Vietnamese, and Americans individuals who knew Vang Pao protested the arrest and rallied throughout California, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin. ng tng c mnh danh l vua Mo ti Thng Lo t nm 1960. His father sent him away to school from the age of 10 to 15[1] before he launched his military career, joining the French military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion. In his early teen years, Vang Pao launched his military career, joining the French Military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion. hide caption. He and his wife, May Song Vang, whom he married in 1973, initially moved to Montana before settling in California. Following this appearance, on 6 April 2009, federal prosecutors denied all allegations of fabrications in the motion. There are many more secrets and tales from the past, so Lee and I call on the eldest sister. By 1968, 30% of the new recruits were only 14 years old. He says when he was 13, he saw a family from his village unable to pay their taxes. Five years later, the Madison school board removed his name from a new elementary school named for him, after dissenters said it should not bear the name of a figure with such a violent history. All 12 have pleaded not guilty since their arrests in 2007. Traditional Hmong funeral services for Vang Pao were scheduled to be held for six days, starting February 4, 2011, at the Fresno Convention Center. He ran the CIA's secret army from 1962 to 1975. General Vang Pao offered a reward and ordered the assassination of Shong Lue Yang, who was killed in February 1971 by Nos Toom Yang in the village of Nam Chia. By continuing to browse the site Tue 22 Feb 2011 17.17 EST. Hmong General Vang Pao, a courageous and powerful leader, worked in tandem with the CIA to conduct covert operations in Laos. "I'm not like you," she says in the recording, having given me her usual angry face. ", Baenen, Jeff, Associated Press (AP), (28 May 2004)"Hmong Military Leader's Influence Waning", Estrada, Heron Marquez and Xiong, Chao, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, (2 May 2004) "Attacks on Hmong a puzzle; The roots of recent violence aimed at a general's affiliates are being probed. General Vang Pao died in California, Thursday. General Vang Pao (Vaj Pov) [56][57][58][59], Amnesty International and other human rights organizations and experts testified about their research efforts, along with Members of Congress, including U.S. Tou Long Yang, right, at the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand in 1976. contribute to the communitys continued socioeconomic struggles 45 years later, nearly 1.1 million Southeast Asian Americans are low-income, More than 16,000 Southeast Asian Americans have received final orders of removal since 1998, continue to struggle nearly half a century later, publicly denounced the mass detentions and deportations of the community. Jerry Daniels - Wikipedia Following Pao's meeting with communist generals and officials from Vietnam, Vang's so-called "New Doctrine" was widely opposed by many of his closest advisers, family, supporters, and former veterans, and many in the Lao and Hmong-American community. Vang Pao obituary | Laos | The Guardian (modern), Vang Pao was a leader of the Hmong ethnic group in Laos. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Vang, aided by his adviser, Philip Smith, and influential American diplomatic allies, Members of Congress, and vast numbers of Hmong-Americans, helped halt the forced United Nations-sponsored repatriation back to Laos of thousands of Laotian and Hmong refugees in Thailand. U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos, U.S. Congress, Center For Public Policy Analysis, Doctors Without Borders, Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) (1 May 2008), Agence France Press (AFP) & Asia One News, (13 May 2011), Agence France Press (AFP) (9 January 2011) "California funeral planned for Hmong general", Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aroports, 2007 Laotian coup d'tat conspiracy allegation, History of the Hmong in Fresno, California, "Vang Pao, Laotian General Who Aided U.S., Dies at 81", "Revered Hmong leader Vang Pao stands tall in two worlds", "The life of General Vang Pao, Hmong guerrilla leader", "May Song Vang, widow of Gen. Vang Pao, dies at 62", "Hmong community, military leader Vang Pao dies at 81", "Hmong community reacts with alarm to charges against Vang Pao", http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18164641.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62628182.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69595349.html, "3,500 Laotians Head for U.S. after 20 Years in Thailand", http://www.nysun.com/editorials/vang-pao-escapes/86878, http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1102/S00609/vietnam-laos-nationalist-fighter-honored-by-lao-hmong.htm, "Suspect in alleged Laos plot had friends, influence on Capitol Hill", Vietnam vet to get US honors after burial snub, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-133816289.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-89481454.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-95001293.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-116193843.html, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-91813746.html, "Amnesty Urges Laos to Treat Hmong Humanely", "U.S. Secretary of State says he will talk to U.N. chief about Hmong in Laos", http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110671550.html, "ST. PAUL; VANG PAO FOUNDATION; Chamber says money was for trade missions", THE COVERT WARS OF VANG PAO; Ex-guerrilla's gamble for peace backfires; With his empire unraveling, Gen. Vang Pao met with the enemy, a tactic that to his people felt like a total betrayal. On June 15, the defendants were indicted by a grand jury and an 11th man was arrested in connection with the alleged plot. Fresno is home to a large population of refugees from Laos. There will be a lot of chaos for a little while, until things get settled.". The one thing he was firm about, Ying says, was for them to dress down. The Monitor Daily amplifies and clarifies how we deliver on the Monitors purpose, to benefit humanity by reporting what is happening in the world and why and how this information matters to you. Smith raised repeated public concerns that the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Department of States, would be putting themselves and the U.S. government on trial, for its betrayal and abandonment of the Hmong people during the conclusion of the Vietnam War and its aftermath when many Hmong were killed or imprisoned by the Lao communist government that prevailed in the conflict. As a teenager, he had been recruited to fight communism alongside the United States. [citation needed], On 18 September 2009, the federal government dropped all charges against Vang Pao, announcing in a release that the federal government was permitted to consider "the probable sentence or other consequences if the person is convicted. Vang Pao, a charismatic Laotian general who commanded a secret army of his mountain people in a long, losing campaign against Communist insurgents, then achieved almost kinglike status as their leader-in-exile in the United States, died Thursday in Clovis, Calif. He is an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. [sz-youtube value=08CEFAE303669E9C type=playlist max=50 sortorder=viewCount lightbox=1 autoplay=1 hd=1 width=640]. William Colby, the director of the CIA in the 1970s, called Vang Pao "the biggest hero of the Vietnam War.". Federal prosecutors alleged the Lao liberation movement known as Neo Hom raised millions of dollars to recruit a mercenary force and conspired to obtain weapons. Vang Pao, or 'the General,' was selected for his charisma and leadership skills, honed when the Hmong had previously allied with the French against North Vietnamese forces. That man was my great-uncle, the late Gen. Vang Pao. "Pappy Hicks", U.S. Special Forces Association, and others.[75][79]. [23][24], In late November 2003 and early 2004, Vang shocked many of his closest advisers and supporters, and began to mysteriously, and abruptly, reverse his previous position in opposition to U.S. economic sanctions against the communist government of Laos. [23] Despite the U.S. Secretary of the Army's unpopular and widely criticized decision, the CPPA, along with the Lao Veterans of America Institute, Lao Veterans of America, Inc. (LVA), and others helped to organize national veterans ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery in May 2011 to honor Vang's contribution to U.S. national security efforts during the Vietnam War. hide caption. She loves to hate. 1929-2011. Many, like Yang, received little to no assistance in rebuilding their lives, were resettled in underresourced neighborhoods and faced racism. Hmong people believed that the Heavens sent Vang Pao to be our leader. This got me wondering about the surviving sisters of Gen. Vang Pao Lee, Xai, Ying and Der. Former Laotian General Vang Pao at the Hmong International New Year's Celebration in Fresno, Calif. Pao, a former general in the Royal Army of Laos who led thousands of Hmong mercenaries. This message will appear once per week In the shadows of the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of communism from spreading deeper into Southeast Asia. U.S. Drops Case Against Exiled Hmong Leader", "Parents Pack Meeting To Object To New School's Name", "McCoy challenged on Vang Pao; he fires back", "Sen. George Asks UW For Probe On Vang Pao", "Board To Revisit New School's Name After Hmong General's Arrest", "School Board Drops New School's Name, OKs Teacher Contract", "General Vang Pao Elementary School: A First for Fresno", "Federal charges dropped against Hmong leader Vang Pao: The exiled general was accused of plotting to overthrow the communist regime in Laos", "IMPORTANCE OF THE ONGOING U.S. CONGRESSIONAL FORUM ON LAOS", "Statement of the Honorable Patrick Kennedy: US Congressional Forum on Laos", "Laos: Massacre of unarmed Hmong women and children", "Laos Regime Urged to Release Hakit Yang, Hmong Tortured in Vientiane Prison", http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org, "Fearing a Forced Return: The Situation of the Lao Hmong Refugees in Petchabun, Thailand", "Lao People's Democratic Republic: Hiding in the jungle - Hmong under threat", Fresno New Year festivities honor Hmong 'mother', "Hmong leader remains in critical condition", "AFP: Vietnam War 'secret army' chief dies in US hospital", "Vang Pao, Guerilla Fighter and Hmong Leader, Dead at 81", "Laos general and Hmong leader Vang Pao dies in exile", "Thousands mourn Gen. Vang Pao in Fresno", "Vang Pao Gets Arlington Ceremony After Burial Snub", "Vietnam vet to get US honors after burial snub", http://www.thefreelibrary.com/California+funeral+planned+for+Hmong+general-a01612410970, http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20110513-278644.html, "Arlington ceremony honors Gen. Vang Pao". He needed to ensure his familys survival, but it was heartbreaking to leave everything he owned and knew behind, he said. Affecting or concerning all or most people, places, or things; widespread. As the Bee adds: "Over 100 people crowded into the outpatient care center at Clovis Community Medical Center to grieve the loss of a beloved leader, who some saw as the George Washington of the Hmong.". "Whether they're young or old, they hear his name, there's the respect that goes with it.". Among the hardest hit by this Secret War were the Hmong of northern Laos. Pao led the CIA-funded "secret war" in Laos, and then shepherded many Hmong people into life outside of Southeast Asia when the Vietnam War ended. hide caption. He led a guerrilla army into battle against communist troops along the Ho Chi Minh trail relieving U.S. forces of that burden and saving the lives of countless American soldiers. He was charged under the U.S. Neutrality Act, a security clause that prohibits actions on domestic soil against foreign governments with whom Washington is at peace. Tony Poe (middle-left) and General Vang Pao (middle right) with an unknown Hmong soldier (far left) and American (far right). log out. After realising that the communist forces allied with Vietnam's were active in Laos,. He said he has healed from his experiences and adapted to life in America, yet still misses his home country decades later. It was a hefty sum back then, he said, and he eventually came to own two houses and three cars. 19802023 The Christian Science Monitor. General Vang Pao was one of the greatest military commanders during the Secret War in Laos, a part of the Vietnam conflict, from 1960 to 1975. The Hmong are a tribe in the fog-shrouded mountains separating Laos from southern China, and they were natural allies for the C.I.A. Many Southeast Asian American refugees continue to struggle nearly half a century later, but have also made strides in various spheres. General Vang Pao's House in Long Tieng Laos | Now in Lao In the 1970s, Vang led Hmong guerrillas in a CIA-backed battle against communist forces in Laos and helped tens of thousands of Hmong immigrants resettle in American cities. Many of them fought on in the belief that their beloved general would one day return from the US to "liberate the country". My family lived in northeastern Laos, in Nong Het, right on the border with Vietnam. Vang didn't deny the charge, but countered that the CIA was well aware of his plans to send American weapons to his former comrades in arms. He was married to five women but was forced to divorce four of them when he arrived in the US. The CIA's 'Secret War' - The Diplomat Against All Odds: The Laotian Freedom Fighters Pao His eldest son Chao Francois Vang said he had been admitted to the hospital on December 26, 2010, after attending Hmong New Year celebrations in Fresno. The trade helped to fund Vang Pao's army, with the complicity of senior CIA operatives. A committee unanimously voted against a request to bury Vang Pao at Arlington National Cemetery, Hmong Leadership | Chi You Di | Wu Ba Yue | Zhang Xiu Mei | Lo Blia Yao | Pa Chay Vu | Shong Lue Yang | Tou Geu Lyfoung | Touby Lyfoung, General Vang Pao | Lee Lue | Dr. Yang Dao | Senator Mee Moua | Dr. Vang PobZeb | Hmong Doctorates, Alleged plot to overthrow government of Laos. John Dominis/Time Life Pictures Getty Images. Credit: Wikipedia Wikipedia After fighting as a teenager against the Japanese in World War II and the North Vietnamese in the 1950s, Vang Pao became the first Hmong to achieve the rank of general . [25][26] Vang, in close cooperation with one of his highly controversial sons, Cha Vang, reversed his long-standing position and began to publicly advocate normalization of U.S.-Laotian trade relations with Laos in a highly controversial move that involved secret meetings with communist Vietnamese military and political officials and complex and questionable financial dealings involving Cha Vang and others. approached him in 1960, he was already fighting Laotian Communists. General Vang Pao, who has died in California at the age of 81, was once described as "the biggest hero of the Vietnam War" by former CIA chief William Colby. Hmong women wear traditional clothes, a sign of respect, during Vang's funeral. A mourner holds a photo of Gen. Vang Pao during the funeral procession. [67][68][69][70], Traditional Hmong funeral services for Vang were scheduled to be held for six days, starting 4 February 2011, at the Fresno Convention Center. Early life [ edit] He was the only ethnic Hmong to attain the rank of General officer in the Royal Lao Army, and he was loyal to the King of Laos while remaining a champion of the Hmong people. "As a young man, he had fought against the Japanese during World War II, and with the French against the North Vietnamese in the 1950s. The U.S. government declassified some of the documents relating to Poe and his activities in Laos, but hardly mention the operative by name. [76] The Lao Veterans of America, Philip Smith, the CPPA and other prominent figures also highlighted and lauded Vang Pao's contribution to U.S. national security interests during the Vietnam War. Xiong was at the hospital with a growing crowd of mourners. Federal prosecutors alleged [that Vang], then 77, and several colleagues were funding guerilla fighters still living in Laos. The community has also been grappling with deportations, a threat that has grown in recent years. The government of Laos, along with the governments of Vietnam, the Peoples Republic of China, Cuba and North Korea are the worlds few remaining bastions of communism. Xai is full of energy and youth in her late 70s. He is an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. Much of his life was spent. She tells me her brother loved them dearly, so much that he never raised his voice at them. Plus we visit the last king of Laos' holiday residence and other key attractions in. 1. This CIA operative was a real-life 'Col. Kurtz' during the Vietnam War Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. While in exile, Vang Pao assembled other Lao and Hmong leaders from around the world to create the United Lao National Liberation Front (ULNF), also known as Lao National Liberation Movement and Neo Hom,[4] a right-wing pro-royalist political movement. Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov, born 1929) is a former Major General in the Royal Lao Army. The federal charges allege that members of the group inspected weapons, including AK-47s, smoke grenades, and Stinger missiles, with the intent of purchasing them and smuggling them into Thailand, where they allegedly would be shipped to anti-Laotian governmental resistance movement forces inside Laos. improve functionality and performance. Southeast Asian American refugees have survived war, famine and genocide.
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general vang pao biography