Hmong SGU veterans still fighting 50 years after the end of the Secret War

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As the Vietnam War raged on in Southeast Asia during the 1960s and 1970s, a separate United States-backed operation was also underway in neighboring Laos. Known as the Secret War, the CIA recruited tens of thousands of Hmong soldiers for covert operations.

The Special Guerilla Units: The CIA’s Secret Fighters in Laos

What we know:

These secret fighters were known as Special Guerilla Units (SGU). Their missions included scouting enemy movements, fighting on the front lines, rescuing downed American pilots and protecting U.S. facilities in Laos. Former CIA Director William Colby said the Hmong probably saved more than 50,000 American lives in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

"So if it weren’t for the Hmong, there would be 50,000 additional names on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.," says Lee Pao Xiong, founding director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University. "We did so with a high casualty rate. Over 30,000 Hmong people died protecting American interests in Southeast Asia."

"Even to this day, people still don’t know about the Secret War," says Xiong. "We call it the ‘Secret War’ because it was held in secret. It was a war where many of the Hmong people were trained and paid for by the Americans and, in particular, the CIA."

The Hmong people’s role in the Secret War

The backstory:

The Secret War in Laos was part of a larger regional conflict that had been going on for some time that included the Vietnam War. As part of a 1962 peace treaty, Laos was declared a neutral territory. The country had seen an ongoing rise in communist insurgency by the Pathet Lao, a nationalist group that was supported by pro-communist North Vietnam and China.

"Vietnam was divided along at the 17th parallel. South Vietnam was a U.S. ally. North Vietnam was pro-communism," says Xiong. "No one was supposed to be in Laos, but the North Vietnamese were using Laos to supply the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. That route took them right through Military Region 2 of Laos."

Royal Lao Army Mayor General Vang Pao and the Hmong controlled Military Region 2. Because the U.S. could not be in Laos, the CIA came and recruited the Hmong to fight.

Some of the Hmong soldiers were just children at the time. "I was in the military at a very young age," recalls Leng Wong, who is an SGU veteran and the first Hmong refugee to arrive in Minnesota. "I was maybe 12 years old when I joined the military. At that time, a carbon rifle was too heavy for me and I couldn’t carry it very long, so the older soldiers had to help me carry my gun."

The United States saw Laos as a strategic country in the Domino Theory. It was a Cold War-era concept where if one country fell to communism, the rest would succumb as well.

"America recruited the Hmong to serve as surrogate soldiers of the American Armed Forces," says Xiong. "We were the most effective forces in that region. We fought against full-fledged North Vietnamese battalions."

SGU Veteran Tong Vang says during the Secret War, soldiers would head into the jungles of Laos and stayed there. He says, "If you lived, you live. If you died you died."

An estimated 30,00 to 40,000 Hmong soldiers died during the Secret War in Laos. Thousands more were wounded.

The end of the Secret War coincided with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The U.S. withdrew its support from Laos and the Pathet Lao took over.

Vang says the end of the Secret War didn’t come as a surprise. "We’d known since 1973 or 1974. At that time, there were no more supplies, equipment and bullets for us. We were told to use whatever we had left," says Vang. "That told me we’d lost."

Vang’s suspicions were confirmed on May 14, 1975. He says General Vang Pao visited Long Cheng, which served as a military base for the Hmong Army and an airbase for the CIA. "General Vang Pao told us SGU soldiers tomorrow planes will take the Hmong to Thailand where we will stay for several days and then continue onto the United States," recounts Vang.

Wong was able to get his family onto a plane in Long Cheng and they were flown to a refugee camp in Thailand. Vang had gone back to his village to alert his family. By the time he returned to the military base, all the planes had already taken off.

A difficult reality: flee or face persecution

Why you should care:

After the United States pulled its support from Laos, the Hmong faced severe persecution. "There were daily broadcasts on Laotian radio saying there are roadblocks and Hmong people were not allowed to leave the country," Vang says.

Fearing retribution, many Hmong families made the perilous journey south to Thailand. During the migration, many Hmong people died from disease, starvation, and exposure or drowned in the Mekong River. Those who stayed were sent to re-education camps where they were starved or worked to death. According to the University of Central Arkansas, an estimated 100,000 Hmong people died as a result of Laotian policies after 1975. This includes the Hmong who died while fleeing to Thailand.

After the war ended in 1975, about 15,000 Hmong SGU soldiers and their families resettled in the United States. At one time, there were about 5,000 SGU veterans living in Minnesota. Today, that number has dwindled to about 900.

SGU veterans continue to fight for recognition from the U.S.

What's next:

Hmong and Lao SGU veterans face a different fight these days. For years, they’ve been battling for recognition in the United States, so they’d be eligible for VA benefits. According to the George Washington Law Review, Hmong SGU veterans do not meet the Department of Veterans Affairs’ current definition of "veteran" because the group was under the direction of the CIA rather than the U.S. Armed Forces.

However, the United States did give SGU veterans "honorary citizenship" under the Hmong Veterans’ Naturalization Act of 2000. In 2018, the U.S. changed the VA burial eligibility statute to allow SGU vets who were naturalized under that 2000 law to be buried in national cemeteries, excluding Arlington National Cemetery.

Earlier this year, Minnesota became the first state in the country to give SGU veterans the same rights and services as American veterans. Limited benefits include:

• Veteran designation on Minnesota drivers’ license and Minnesota ID cards
• Honor Guards from Congressionally Chartered Veteran Service Organizations can be reimbursed by Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) for providing services at the funeral of a deceased Veteran
• Burial privileges at State Veterans Cemeteries
• Permanent grave markers purchased by MDVA and made available through County Veterans Service Officers or Veterans Service Organizations
• Veterans Preference provides Veteran job applicants a limited preference in hiring and promotion for public employment jobs; permissive preference is available to non-public jobs.
• Copies of vital records provided without charge to any Veteran, surviving spouse of next of kin
• Limited exemption of expiration date for renewal of professional licenses, motor vehicle registration and drivers' licenses
• Honor and Remember flag

Some states, including Minnesota, have also proclaimed May 14 or May 15 as Hmong SGU Remembrance Day.

'Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience' documentary

Watch:

A new FOX 9 documentary "Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience" dives into the journey of Hmong refugees in America 50 years after the fall of Vietnam. Interviews and historical footage illustrate the success of Hmong families as well as the cultural challenges they faced as they resettled in Minnesota. Hmong Americans in Minnesota, spanning multiple generations, also share their hopes for the next 50 years.

"Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience" premieres at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 on FOX 9+ and streaming on FOX LOCAL and FOX9.com. You can watch the documentary on-demand on FOX LOCAL, FOX LOCAL Mobile, YouTube and FOX9.com.