He began his military career as an officer in the French army in the early 1940s. With the help of . He is an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. [14][15][16][17], Throughout Vang's residence in the U.S., the Hmong leader diplomatically opposed human rights violations by the communist government of Laos against the Hmong and Laotian people. or call us at 1-617-450-2300. 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 was 81. Vang Pao had been a source of controversy for several years before the case was filed. During the 1950s, Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh guerrillas, and Lao and Cambodian nationalists united in a struggle to defeat the French empire in Indochina. recruited General Vang Pao for the job. The term Meo Maquis was originally used by Free French and Allied intelligence officers to describe the Hmong resistance forces working against the Japanese forces occupying Indochina and China during World War II. Quyen Dinh, executive director of SEARAC, said in an email that the community is becoming more civically engaged by running for political office and demanding political accountability in areas including education equity and criminal justice. Science Monitor has expired. ", "Hmong project worried some from start; Mayor Randy Kelly's advisers fretted about the Vang Pao Foundation's ability to raise funds to build a funeral home, and about political fallout. general. His job was to protect the CIA at all costs. William Colby, C.I.A. She lives just a few miles from the farm. At the funeral hall, I meet the other two surviving sisters, Xai and Der. director in the mid-1970s, called him the biggest hero of the Vietnam War., Lionel Rosenblatt, president emeritus of Refugees International, in an interview with The New York Times Magazine in 2008, put it more bluntly, saying General Vang Paos Hmong were put into this meat grinder, mostly to save U.S. soldiers from fighting and dying there.. Since the June 4 federal raid, Vang Paos arrest has been the subject of mounting criticism. Kingsley Yang ties on an armband during the funeral procession. He was 81. [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. As an adult, it was just as hard to talk about the war. It also allowed for that broader definition to be applied retroactively. continue to use the site without a 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 in a CIA backed secret army during the Vietnam War, has died. The captain dictated the answers to Vang so he could join the army. Hmong General Vang Pao, a courageous and powerful leader, worked in tandem with the CIA to conduct covert operations in Laos. Vang was a hero of the Hmong community, and thousands gathered for his six-day long funeral. Congressional committees discussed the war in secret sessions at the time it was being fought, and the press uncovered significant details. General Vang's son, Chong Vang, spoke at the ceremony along with Colonel Wangyee Vang, Philip Smith, Captain D.L. Family members pray during the Buddhist ceremony for Vang. Time notes that the general's "relationship with the U.S. as with his homeland -- was always complicated": "In 2007, after a lengthy investigation known as Operation Tarnished Eagle, the ex-CIA operative was arrested for plotting to overthrow the Laotian government. Nope. 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. All rights reserved. His lawyers claimed that the charges were fabricated and had no bearing in court. PRESSZOOM (2 January 2009), U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos. Major Vang Pao was plucked from the ranks of the Royal Lao Army and recruited to play a key role in this CIA campaign, in command of a mercenary army of Hmong forces supplemented by 10,000 Asians, including Thai regular soldiers, Chinese Kuomintang, Burmese and Filipinos. General Vang Pao was born in December 1929 in a village in northeast Laos, had six years of sporadic schooling and worked as an interpreter for French colonial forces fighting the Japanese in World War II. Xiong was at the hospital with a growing crowd of mourners. Tou Long Yang served alongside Vang Pao, a general in the Royal Lao Army at the time who led the CIA's "secret army" during the Laotian Civil War -- also known as the Secret War -- for nearly. [sz-youtube value=08CEFAE303669E9C type=playlist max=50 sortorder=viewCount lightbox=1 autoplay=1 hd=1 width=640]. 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. If you have questions about your account, please The Minnesota Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press reported extensively on these matters. Prince Bouavong Kattygnarath (center) of the Lao royal family passes Vang's casket. Several of Vang Paos high-level U.S. supporters have criticized the California court that issued the arrest warrants, arguing that Vang Pao is a historically important American ally and valued current leader of U.S. and foreign-based Hmong. On June 18, 2007, the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education voted to drop Vangs name from the new school, in light of the federal charges against him and the previous allegations. Death. 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". Some have called him the "George Washington of the Hmong." After several funeral days, it was estimated that over 40,000 attended during the service of his funeral[71] A committee unanimously voted against a request to bury Vang Pao at Arlington National Cemetery;[72] he was subsequently buried near Los Angeles at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. Major General Vang immigrated to the United States after the communists seized power in Laos in 1975. The CIA arranged for flights to bring Vang Pao and his Hmong supporters to the US as refugees via airbases in Thailand. Vang Pao even set up a heroin laboratory at the secret US CIA base at Long Cheng. Although the FBI file is heavily redacted, the portions released to . General Vang Pao. Among the hardest hit by this "Secret War" were the Hmong of northern Laos. He was married to five women but was forced to divorce four of them when he arrived in the US. Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese youth came from war-torn countries and had a tough time adjusting, said Sam Vong, curator of Asian Pacific American History at the Smithsonian Institute and former assistant professor of Asian American history at the University of Texas, Austin. Xai is full of energy and youth in her late 70s. That man was my great-uncle, the late Gen. Vang Pao. Like many Southeast Asian refugees, it was difficult for Yang to create a new life in America. [28][29] The Lao Marxist government, and hardline Pathet Lao elements in the Lao military and government, backed by the military in Vietnam, continued to engage in military attacks and human rights violations against the Hmong in Laos. The live pig they offered was not enough for the tax collector. Former U.S. soldiers surround a portrait of Gen. Vang Pao. Many Southeast Asian American refugees continue to struggle nearly half a century later, but have also made strides in various spheres. On June 4, 2007, following a lengthy federal investigation labeled Operation Tarnished Eagle, warrants were issued by U.S. federal courts ordering the arrest of Vang Pao and nine others for allegedly plotting to overthrow the communist government of Laos, an enemy the United States government trained Vang Pao to fight some thirty years ago, in violation of the federal Neutrality Acts. He was born in the Laotian jungle in 1929 and died Jan. 6 in suburban Clovis, Calif. 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. In truth, Grandma did believe she would have been a better commander than her brother. [37][38][39][40][41], Thailand-based Laotian and Hmong refugees, many of whom had been living at formal and informal refugee camps including Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist temple in Thailand, were afforded the right to avoid the forced return to Laos and instead over 15,000 were offered relocation rights and assistance to the U.S. in 200405. If you are part of a community that is overwhelmingly poor, that struggles with employment, that has to rely on the welfare state and that is living in urban areas with substandard housing, then your chances at social mobility are slim, said Eric Tang, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Unsettled: Cambodian Refugees in the New York City Hyperghetto. And this is true not just for Cambodians, not just for Laotians, but for any population that lives within the inner city under these conditions.. 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. This got me wondering about the surviving sisters of Gen. Vang Pao Lee, Xai, Ying and Der. [60][61][62][63][64], Vang Pao reportedly had at least 25 children by several wives, and spoke English besides his native Lao, although in later years in interviews he did not seem to use the language as much anymore. The community is also seeing its demands being championed by members of Congress, some of whom have publicly denounced the mass detentions and deportations of the community. Only after his death did I find a recording of VP. Nobody will be left behind. About 35,000 Hmong died in battle. He is like the earth and the sky, Houa Thao, a Hmong refugee, said in an interview with The Fresno Bee in 2007. He led a CIA-sponsored secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War and, when it was lost, led many of his people into exile. 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. But his CIA controllers urged him to keep on fighting. 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. [9], Vang emigrated to the United States after the communists seized power in Laos in 1975. [65], Diana Aguilera of the Fresno Bee wrote that May Song Vang, who was Vang Pao's wife at the time of his death, "became the face of the Hmong community" after Vang Pao died. Since the 4 June 2007 federal raid, the arrests became the subject of mounting criticism. Former CIA Chief William Colby once called Pao "the biggest hero of the Vietnam War," for the 15 years he spent heading a CIA-sponsored guerrilla army fighting against a communist takeover of the Southeast Asian peninsula. Would they be like my grandmother? 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. VP, as he was known to the CIA, personally trained thousands of irregular soldiers. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, said Vang did not express any embarrassment over this cheating. [44] The federal charges alleged 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. [53], On 9 March 2009, Vang's lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. On September 18, 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, the Laotian general who marshalled a CIA mercenary army to fight a "secret war" against communist insurgents in the remote mountains of Laos in the 1960s, has . He was 81. 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. 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.". This excerpt is from Twin Cities PBS's documentaryMinnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret War.Learn more at the bottom of the page. Vang began his early life as a farmer until Japanese forces invaded and occupied French Indochina in World War II. approached him in 1960, he was already fighting Laotian Communists. After immigrating to the United States once the communists seized power in Laos in 1975, Vang Pao was venerated as a leader and a father figure by the large Hmong refugee populations who resettled in California's Central Valley, Minneapolis and cities throughout Wisconsin. Print. The Christian Science Monitor is an international news organization offering calm, thoughtful, award-winning coverage for independent thinkers. Courtesy of Doualy 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. Story Themes: America's Secret War, CIA, Covert Operations, Ganghis Khang, General Vang Pao, Laos, Long Cheng, Long Tieng, Saint Paul, Secret War, SGU, Special Guerilla Unit, St Paul, Tony Poe, A Twin Cities PBS initiative in collaboration with the MN PBS Stations, This excerpt is from Twin Cities PBS's documentary, America's Secret War, CIA, Covert Operations, Ganghis Khang, General Vang Pao, Laos, Long Cheng, Long Tieng, Saint Paul, Secret War, SGU, Special Guerilla Unit, St Paul, Tony Poe, Terms and Conditions for Submitting Your Story. Vangs June 2007 arrest later led the Madison School to reopen discussion on the schools naming. 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. During the 1960s and 1970s General Vang commanded the Secret Army, a highly-effective CIA-trained and supported force that fought against the Pathet Lao and Peoples Army of Vietnam. in those biography that one person write about their experiences, there would. The Hmong were joyful to hear this news; many had participated in numerous protests over several weeks in California and elsewhere, calling for Vang Paos release from the date of his incarceration until his release under bail nearly a month later. Southeast Asian American refugees have survived war, famine and genocide. [30][31][32], Many of Vang's former veterans and their families, whose relatives were still being persecuted and killed in Laos, opposed Vang's change of stance on the issue of Normalized Trade Relations (NTR), or Most Favored Nation Trade Status (MFN), with Laos. Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret Warexplores the untold, turbulent history. He says when he was 13, he saw a family from his village unable to pay their taxes. [8] Vang's ethnic Hmong and Laotian veterans and their refugee families who served in the U.S. "Secret Army" were eventually granted the status of political refugees by the United Nations because of alleged persecution by the Lao Marxist government and communist Vietnam who took control in 1975[citation needed]. General Vang Pao quickly organized 7,000 guerrillas, then steadily increased the force to 39,000, leading them in many successful battles, often against daunting odds. 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. In his early teen years, Vang Pao launched his military career, joining the French Military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion. Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov, born 1929) is a former Major General in the Royal Lao Army. [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. Thousands of sobbing mourners in military uniform and traditional Hmong dress paid their final respects Friday to the late Gen. Vang Pao, a U.S. ally in the Vietnam War whose proposed burial at . He came very close to having a park in Madison City, Wisconsin, named after him in 2002.