Lao, Hmong Veterans Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Mourning the 40th Anniversary

WASHINGTON - May 24, 2015 - PRLog -- Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia:  May 15, 2015

Washington, D.C.

The following is the text of the statement issued by Mr. Richard Xiong, President, of the Lao Veterans of America Institute, of Fresno, California, presented at the 40th anniversary wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam War Memorial today (May 15, 2015), and hosted by the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), the U.S. Department of Defense, Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Special Forces Association and Members of the U.S.. Senate and House of Representatives:

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Statement of Richard Xiong, President
Lao Veterans of America Institute

of Fresno, California

Lao Veterans of America Monument
Arlington National Cemetery, May 15, 2015
Ceremony Marking the 40^th Anniversary of the Fall of the Royal Kingdom of Laos and the end of the Vietnam War in Laos
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My name is Richard Xiong. I was born in August of 1939 in the Royal Kingdom of Laos. I am the newly-elected President of the Lao Veterans of America Institute, located in Fresno, and the Central Valley, of California. Our organization represents many Lao- and Hmong-American veterans and their families in California and across the United States.

Truly, I am honored to be here in our nation's Capital, Washington, D.C., and Arlington National Cemetery to be part of the 40^th Anniversary Ceremony to honor and pay respect to the Lao- and Hmong veterans, and our U.S. military and clandestine advisors, at the Lao Veterans of America monument.

Today, I am also here to pay respect and honor all of our veterans, and their families, who served in past conflicts, including the ongoing war against terrorism, both in our homeland and abroad.

I would again like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Philip Smith of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), who also serves as the Washington, D.C. Director and National Liaison for the Lao Veterans of America and Lao Veterans of America Institute. We appreciate his leadership efforts with Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Department of Defense and Members of the U.S. Congress to work to make this event possible today. He has worked to assist our community, veterans and refugees for over 20 years in Washington, DC, and the U.S. Congress, and helped us dedicate this important monument, the “Laos Memorial,” here in Arlington National Cemetery in 1997 with the Lao Veterans of America.

Additionally, on behalf of our veterans, and the Laotian and Hmong community, I want to also express my deepest thanks to U.S. Congressman Jim Costa, Congressman Devin Nunes, Congressman Sean Duffy, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Dan Sullivan, Senator Amy Klobachar, Senator Al Franken, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and the many other Members of Congress and Congressional staff who are here today represented at this special ceremony, or who have helped provide leadership in the introduction of the “Hmong Veterans Service Recognition Act.” Thank you for your leadership and your kind and good support. We are very grateful.

It is important to point out that when President Eisenhower left office he told the incoming President, John F. Kennedy, that Southeast Asia, particularly the Royal Kingdom of Laos, would be his most challenging area in dealing with American national security and its vital interests. That same sentiment was later echoed by the then U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. He also believed that if Laos were to fall to invading Soviet-backed communist forces of North Vietnam, the rest of the countries in that region would fall to Marxist regimes, like the domino effect theory predicted.

As a Lao Hmong soldier, I was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1960 as part of the formation of the “U.S. Secret Army” and Special Guerilla Units (SGU), and served honorably during the entire conflict, which was led by General Vang Pao. Soon after I was recruited, I was one of the select few sent to Thailand to train on how to send and decode communications, including the Morse Code and enemy communications. That training became vital and crucial for military communications during the Vietnam War in Laos in terms of relating the locations of downed American flyers, and gathering intelligence to be forwarded to Long Tieng (Long Cheng), CIA Operating Headquarters.

The Hmong and Laotian involvement in the conflict was to help contain the spread of Soviet-backed Communism in Southeast Asia and the region, and by interdicting and disrupting military activities conducted by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the South, Route 12 and other vital and strategic areas.

In 1969, I was injured by an enemy sniper while on the front lines conducting the war as a ground commanding officer, in the rank of Captain.

As a result of the Vietnam War in Laos, an estimated 42,762, or more, Hmong soldiers and guerrilla personnel had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Additionally, and estimated 50, 440 innocent Lao Hmong civilians were also killed (93,202) during the Vietnam War by communist forces. Tens of thousands more were killed following the end of the war in Laos on May 14-15, 1975, by Marxist forces and communist guerrillas of the Pathet Lao regime.

We are here today to remember those who suffered and died defending our beloved homeland and the Kingdom of Laos.

Many Lao and Hmong veterans and their families fled to Thailand and eventually were resettled in refugee camps as well as many Western countries, including the United States of America. Now, here in America, many veterans have become aged and are passing away. There are not too many veterans left. Therefore, we are here in Washington, DC and Arlington National Cemetery to honor our veterans and to meet with Members of the U.S. Congress to seek their support on behalf of all Lao Hmong veterans to pass the “Hmong Veterans' Service Recognition Act.” We want our veterans to be fully honored and to have the benefits necessary to be permitted official burial at U.S. veterans' cemeteries administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs alongside their American advisors and comrades whom they served with during the Vietnam War.

Thank you.
(Ends)

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Contact(s):  Maria Gomez or Philip Smith
Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA)
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org
Tele. (202) 543-1444