Laos, Hmong Veterans Leader, Colonel Wangyee Vang, Gives National Speech, Statement About New Law

WASHINGTON - May 20, 2018 - PRLog -- The following is the national speech and statement issued by President Emeritus and Founder of the Lao Veterans of America, Colonel Wangyee Vang, regarding the recent passage in the U.S. Congress and enactment by President Donald Trump and the Department of Veterans Affairs, of the Hmong Veterans' Service Recognition Act:

Statement Concerning the Lao Hmong Veterans' Service
Recognition Act
By Colonel Wangyee Vang
Founder and National President Emeritus
Lao Veterans of America
May 10^th, 2018

Members of Congress, Ladies and gentlemen, and
Fellow Veterans:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hmong, Lao, Mien and other ethnic Lao veterans who have worked closely with me in the past and with the current Lao Veterans of America's board, staff, and members to have the Lao Veterans of America's Service Recognition Act passed into law. A sincere thank you to our Washington D.C. Director, and National Liaison, Mr. Philip Smith, who had worked hard to assist both the Lao Veterans of America, Members of Congress and Congressional staff.

On behalf of my family and our veterans' families, I would like to thank Congressman Jim Costa (D- California ) for his leadership in introducing the bill on March 29, 2018. I would also like to thank all the Congressmen and Congresswomen who have co-sponsored this bill, over the years, and voted for its passage. This is another important historical moment for the Hmong, Lao and Mien-Americans who had served honorably for the United States' Secret Army and U.S. national security during the Vietnam War.

In 1990, I founded and established the Lao Veterans of America, Inc. In those early years, members of the organization, and Mr. Philip Smith and I worked with the U.S. Congress and their staff to seek the passage and enactment of the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act. It took approximately ten (10) years until it passed the U.S. Congress, with bipartisan support, in 2000, and was signed into law by the President. About 45,000 veterans and their families were able to become U.S. citizens.

In 2002, I began to work with Congressman George Radanovich regarding Hmong, Lao, Mien American veterans benefits from the  U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), but its review board  told me through Mr. Charles Printz, a former state department officer and lawyer, that DOD was not directly involved with the secret army. It was recommended to go back to Congress to seek a legislative remedy, as we did previously for the passage of the Hmong Veterans citizenship bill. Therefore, in 2007, I returned to Washington DC and asked Mr. Philip Smith for his assistance once again. Together, Mr. Smith and I went to Congressman Jim Costa and his Legislature Assistant several times regarding our request that the burial legislation for the U.S. secret army war veterans be introduced. Philip Smith and I provided the research, background and key information to assist Congressman Costa in drafting the language for the bill to help honor our Lao and Hmong veterans of the U.S. Secret Army.  Congressman Jim Costa agreed to introduce the bill and later Senator Murkowski of Alaska also introduced one, with the same language, in the senate.

Ladies and gentlemen:

...On December 31, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, declared "We cannot let Laos fall to the Communists even if we have to fight."  However, in 1961, the situation in Southeast Asia worsen. The war between North and South Vietnam escalated and President Kennedy called on the Hmong people and the U.S. "Secret Army" was then created. CIA officers and U.S. Special Forces officers recruited the Hmong, an ethnic minority in Laos, to form units such as the ADC, GM and Special Guerrilla Units to support the United States' war efforts in South Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Our U.S. Secret Army and Special Guerrilla Units' duties were:

1) to defend our own country, the Royal Kingdom of Laos;

2) to protect American DoD, CIA / Air America and AID personnel and rescue the American aircrews shot down by the communists over Laos, and on the Laos-North Vietnam border;

3) to disrupt the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese Communists shipment of combat troops, war supplies, food, medicines, and other war equipment from North to South Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh Trail inside the Royal Lao territory; and,

4) to guard the ultra secret United States' Radar Station on the mountaintop of Phou Pha Thi (Lima Site 85) where it facilitated the USAF to do their bombing over North Vietnam in all weather conditions including night time.

The U.S. Secret Army fought about 110,000 North Vietnamese Army troops and was able to decimate and chase them out of the Plains of Jars. From the period of 1961 to 1975, we had lost over 35,000 brave Lao and Hmong men and women combat veterans, this does not include the many tens of thousands of Lao Hmong civilian casualties and deaths that the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army inflicted on us during the war.

Our case is a unique, one because it is different from other groups. We, veterans of the United States' Secret Army, served honorably and valiantly for the United States national security interests.

Again, I would like to take time to sincerely thank the United States' Congress for passing the Hmong and Lao Veterans Service Recognition bill, especially Congressman Jim Costa and Senator Murkowski, as well as President Donald Trump for signing the bill into law.

--ends--


Contact(s):

Jade Her/Philip Smith
Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA)
http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org