Event will honor those who served in 'secret war' in Laos

Angela Guglielmino, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read

May 16—Kevin Xiong, the president of the Yuba-Sutter Hmong American Association, said that he was born in the midst of the "secret war" in Laos, and his dad served in that conflict.

For context, from the 1960s to the 1970s, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conducted a covert operation in Laos during the Vietnam War era, later referred to by some as the "secret war" in Laos. The CIA recruited Hmong and other ethnic minority groups to fight against the spread of communism.

"Laos was considered 'the cork in the bottle' in Southeast Asia by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who feared the country's fall to communism could lead to a domino effect throughout the region," McClatchy previously reported in 2023. "But it was President John F. Kennedy who authorized the expansion of the CIA's ability to operate a full-fledged paramilitary operation there, arming the spy agency for the first time with a helicopter program, covert bombers, and even a commercial airline — known as Air America — secretly owned and operated by the CIA.

"Members of the Hmong community served throughout the mountainous country as road watchers, intercepting sensor devices and monitoring enemy troop and supply movements along the Ho Chi Minh trail, starting well before the first U.S. Marines landed in Vietnam in 1965."

The conflict led to losses for the Hmong community, with estimated casualties of around 35,000 to 40,000 and about 3,000 soldiers missing in action.

"Anyone who has gone through what many of us have gone through, we look at the world in a different perspective. We see what we have today as a blessing, and we empathize with what's going on around the world," Xiong said.

However, Xiong, who is also an assistant principal at Johnson Park Elementary School in Olivehurst, said that the history of this secret war in Laos is often forgotten by the education system.

"We call (the veterans) the forgotten heroes because basically no one has talked about it," Xiong said. "Hardly anybody knows about it, unless you're really into it, and then you do your own research."

To remember and pay tribute to the people who served and sacrificed their lives in the secret war in Laos, the Yuba-Sutter Hmong American Association and Sacramento Hmong American Resources and Education will hold a ceremony on Saturday at Veterans Park in Marysville.

Sacramento Hmong American Resources and Education President Marie Vue said that the pain is still raw for some Hmong Americans.

"Doing this event, bringing light to what had happened 49 years ago, it's going to lead us into being able to share our story next year as well," Vue said. "(And just) bringing awareness to the community, so they know who we are, what our role was, and just trying to close that gap between us and the larger community."

At the event, Vue said that they will have a Lindhurst High School choir leading the morning with the national anthem. They also expect to have the Beale Air Force Honor Guard at the event.

The event on Saturday, called "Honoring the Forgotten Heroes: A Tribute to the Hmong and others Who Served in the Secret War in Laos (1961-1978)," will start at 10 a.m.