general vang pao biography

The Hmong are a tribe in the fog-shrouded mountains separating Laos from southern China, and they were natural allies for the C.I.A. This army fought with the US troops in the long, losing campaign against . Hmong women wearing traditional clothing line the streets during the funeral procession. Vang, an ethnic Hmong, was born on 8 December 1929,[3][4] in a Hmong village named Nonghet,[5] located in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos, where his father, Neng Chu Vang, was a county leader. In the 1950s, he joined the French in the war against the North Vietnamese who were dominating Laos and later worked with the CIA to wage a covert war there. They include retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Youa True Vang and 11 members of California's Hmong community, many of whom fought for the U.S. during the Vietnam War. VP, as he was known to the CIA, personally trained thousands of irregular soldiers. 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. "Whether they're young or old, they hear his name, there's the respect that goes with it.". Ying is weak, has a bad knee, but manages to smile constantly when she talks to me. We tackle difficult conversations and divisive issueswe dont shy away from hard problems. [46], Prior to his arrest, Vang was scheduled to have an elementary school in Madison, Wisconsin named after him, a proposal that met with opposition over historian Alfred W. McCoy's allegations that Vang had been involved in war crimes and drug trafficking,[47] with Hmong scholars Gary Yia Lee[48] and Jane Hamilton-Merritt, as well as former Air America Association president Jack Knott, strongly disputing his claims. On June 15, the defendants were indicted by a grand jury and an 11th man was arrested in connection with the alleged plot. 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. Vint Lawrence, one of the earliest of the CIA agents to know Vang Pao, said the general seemed unconcerned about his safety in battleperhaps he believed that divine spirits controlled his fate. Many of Vang's former veterans formed the Lao Veterans of America, Inc. and the Lao Veterans of America Institute, with offices in Fresno, California, Washington, D.C. and other locales. A hospital spokesman said his family had been at the hospital at the time of his death. He was the chief of a secret army financed by the Central Intelligence Agency. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. All photos by Lianne Milton for NPR/Photos by Lianne Milton for NPR. She's in her 70s but tills the land much as she did back in Laos. This was a woman of rare qualities, and piercing words. On March 9, 2009, Vang Paos lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against him. His eldest son Chao Francois Vang said he had been admitted to the hospital on December 26, 2010, after attending Hmong New Year celebrations in Fresno. Former U.S. soldiers surround a portrait of Gen. Vang Pao. The United States wanted to interdict the supply route, rescue American pilots shot down over Laos and aid anti-Communist forces in a continuing civil war, but was hampered in doing so publicly because Laos was officially neutral, so the C.I.A. Your subscription to (NEWS)(SERIES: THE COVERT WARS OF VANG PAO)", Lovering, Daniel, Associated Press (AP) (13 January 2014)"Former enemies wage battle over U.S. trade with Laos", Kennedy, Tony and McEnroe, Paul, Minneapolis Star Tribune (5 July 2005)"THE COVERT WARS OF VANG PAO; Ex-guerrilla's gamble for peace backfires; With his empire unraveling, Gen. Vang Pao met with the enemy, a tactic that to his people felt like a total betrayal. Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 - 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army. Vang Pao was a general in the official Laotian Army, the chief of a secret army financed by the Central Intelligence Agency and the undisputed leader of the varied factions of his people, the Hmong. Thousands from the Hmong community line the streets as the general's body is transported on a horse-drawn carriage to Fresno's convention center for the funeral. Vang Pao's FBI file, requested by MuckRock user Robert Delaware, reveals that the Bureau had been monitoring the general for nearly 30 years, ever since it first investigated allegations of murder, extortion and kidnapping - all in the name of the Hmong people - in 1985. He is survived by his son, Chu Vang. approached him in 1960, he was already fighting Laotian Communists. Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. General Vang Pao, who battled diabetes and heart problems, died aged 81 of pneumonia with heart complications on January 6, 2011, at Clovis Community Medical Center. hide caption. General Vang Pao was one of the greatest military commanders during the Secret War in Laos, a part of the Vietnam conflict, from 1960 to 1975. He remembered receiving a monthly salary equivalent to $60. 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. [18], From 1993 to 2003, Vang relied on Philip Smith for much of his efforts with policymakers in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Congress. Yang said leaving Laos was probably the hardest decision he ever had to make. Our work isn't possible without your support. Although French forces lost the war, Vang remained in the army of the newly independent Kingdom of Laos. June 2010. Judge Frank Damrell stated, after hearing the arguments for the motion, that there was not sufficient evidence from the defense to justify a dismissal. [78] Participants at the special ceremony held at the Laos Memorial within Arlington National Cemetery included the CPPA, LVA, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of the Army, Members of the Congress, U.S. Special Forces Association, Counterparts Veterans Association and others. Central in the controversy, scandals, and lawsuits, including one by the Minnesota Attorney General, was Cha Vang's role with the Vang Pao Foundation, a funeral home, a chamber of commerce in St. Paul, and other financial and political dealings. When Tou Long Yang was instructed to decimate his homeland, he said he had no choice. 1929-2011. Following Vang's arrest, Smith advocated in Washington, D.C. for the case to be dropped against Vang and other Hmong leaders. He is like the earth and the sky, Houa Thao, a Hmong refugee, said in an interview with The Fresno Bee in 2007. The Lao and Hmong refugees were allowed to resettle in the United States, France, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Vang Pao was a charismatic Laotian general who commanded a secret army of his mountain people. Following the issuance of the warrants, an estimated 250 federal agents representing numerous U.S. federal law enforcement and other agencies conducted simultaneous raids on homes, offices and other locations throughout central and southern California, arresting Vang Pao and the other nine. She was afraid of no one. Vang Pao, the former general and leader of his Hmong ethnic group in Laos, has died in exile in the US, aged 81. As you well know, General Vang Pao led the Royal Lao Army during thesecret war in Laos, fighting against the People's Army of Vietnam incooperation with the CIA and US military forces. In his early teen years, Vang Pao launched his military career, joining the French Military to protect fellow Hmong during the Japanese invasion. Since the June 4 federal raid, Vang Paos arrest has been the subject of mounting criticism. Following the issuance of the warrants, an estimated 250 federal agents representing numerous U.S. federal law enforcement and other agencies conducted simultaneous raids on homes, offices and other locations throughout central and southern California, arresting Vang and nine other individuals. She died four years ago, but people used to tell me that if she had been born a boy, she would have been the one tapped by the CIA to help them during the Vietnam War. "As a young man, he had fought against the Japanese during World War II, and with the French against the North Vietnamese in the 1950s. The federal charges allege 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. Early life Vang Pao was born on December 8, 1929, in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos. PAUL, June 9 Year after year, Vang Pao, the most recognized leader of Hmong people in the United States, described his dream when he appeared at Hmong New Year celebrations, ceremonies for. Following Pao's meeting with communist generals and officials from Vietnam, Vang's so-called "New Doctrine" was widely opposed by many of his closest advisers, family, supporters, and former veterans, and many in the Lao and Hmong-American community. 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. Early life [ edit] [1] He was admitted to the hospital on 26 December 2010, after attending Hmong New Year celebrations in Fresno. ", "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. His military career began in the French colonial army that fought the Japanese and then Lao nationalists. He became a sergeant in the French colonial army, and, in 1954, an officer in the army of the newly independent Laos. The six-day funeral ended on Feb. 9. I tell them I promise to be the keeper of their stories, so they smile proudly and agree to meet again soon. [27] This created suspicion and distrust among many of Pao's supporters and advisers who quickly began to abandon Vang Pao and his new direction in support of the Lao government's foreign policy, economic and military agenda. Love? Smuggled narcotics became a routine cargo transported from Laos and delivered into the corrupt arms of a clique of South Vietnamese generals in Saigon. At that time, during the war, it's either they kill me or I kill them, he told NBC Asian America through his son, Toufu Yang. William Colby, C.I.A. That man was my great-uncle, the late Gen. Vang Pao. [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. Further information on covert war in Laos: Kaufman, Marc, Knight-Ridder / Tribune News Service (8 April 1996) "Hmong refugees will now be allowed to enter the U.S.", Washington, Wayne, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota) (17 April 1996) "Agencies say influx of Hmong will go smoothly", The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) "NEW WAVE OF LAOTIAN REFUGEES ON THE WAY HUNDREDS EXPECTED TO COME TO STATE" (18 April 1996), Barber, Ben, Washington Times (Washington, D.C.) (22 April 1996), Scoop Independent News, Auckland, New Zealand (17 February 2011) "Vietnam, Laos Nationalist Fighter Honored By Lao Hmong", Kennedy, Tony and McEnroe, Paul (5 July 2005)"THE COVERT WARS OF VANG PAO; Ex-guerrilla's gamble for peace backfires; With his empire unraveling, Gen. Vang Pao met with the enemy, a tactic that to his people felt like a total betrayal. With the help of . Sucheng ed. In 2002, the city of Madison, Wis., dropped a plan to name a park in his honor after a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor cited published sources alleging that Vang Pao had ordered executions of his own followers, of enemy prisoners of war and of his political enemies. Numerous calls for Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to dismiss the case have yet to be answered and are presumably under consideration by the state. [citation needed], While taking an entrance examination, the captain who was the proctor realized that Vang knew almost no written French. "Vang Pao was a great man and a true American hero. Affecting or concerning all or most people, places, or things; widespread. hide caption. Kingsley Yang ties on an armband during the funeral procession. [23][24], In late November 2003 and early 2004, Vang shocked many of his closest advisers and supporters, and began to mysteriously, and abruptly, reverse his previous position in opposition to U.S. economic sanctions against the communist government of Laos. Following this appearance, on 6 April 2009, federal prosecutors denied all allegations of fabrications in the motion. "[46] Vang Pao's long-time adviser and friend Philip Smith hailed the federal government's decision to drop the charges against Vang and the other accused Hmong-American defendants. The term "Mo Maquis" was originally used by Free French and Allied intelligence officers to describe the Hmong resistance forces working against Japanese forces occupying Indochina and China during World War II. This is the first time the sisters of Gen. Vang Pao have been asked to speak publicly about their brother, and about their lives. 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. [citation needed], Thousands of Vang's former ethnic Laotian and Hmong veterans, and their refugee families, in the United States also formed the non-profit veterans and advocacy organizations the Lao Veterans of America and the Lao Veterans of America Institute. 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. The impact of the hardships Yang and many refugees experienced adjusting to America continue to affect the Southeast Asian American refugee community, experts say. He had been in hospital for about 10 days before his death late on Thursday. Vang Paos fellow friends, including Hmong, Mienh, Lao, Vietnamese, and Americans individuals who knew Vang Pao protested the arrest and rallied throughout California, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Vang Pao, who died this week in Clovis, California, was the leader of the CIA's so-called "Secret Army" in Laos-a force of some 100,000 Hmong (pronounced "Mung") guerrillas that between 1960 and 1975 kept four crack Vietnamese divisions tied down in the Laotian Highlands north of the Plain of Jars and off the backs . Vang, an ethnic Hmong, was born on 8 December 1929, in a Hmong village named Nonghet, located in Central Xiangkhuang Province, in the northeastern region of Laos, where his father, Neng Chu Vang, was a county leader . His reputation was further damaged when he was arrested in 2007, with other Hmong activists and a retired US military officer, for conspiracy to procure weapons of war, including Stinger missiles, to launch a terrorist attack on strategic buildings in Vientiane, the Laotian capital. Hmong women wear traditional clothes, a sign of respect, during Vang's funeral. Some have called him the "George Washington of the Hmong." The general formed several nonprofits to aid the refugee communities and set up a council to mediate disputes between the 18 Hmong clans, whose president he hand-picked for decades. For many people, especially my parents generation, its horrifying to learn that the U.S. would be willing to return them to the very country that they fled due to threats of violence, torture and death, she said. In the shadows of the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of communism from spreading deeper into Southeast Asia. The defendants face possible life prison terms for violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act and various weapons charges. In the US, Vang Pao assembled anti-communist exiles under one banner the United Lao Liberation Front and sent funds and weapons to be ferried across the border from Thailand to the bands of hardcore Hmong determined to resist the new regime. It was, she says, for love. Those factors contribute to the communitys continued socioeconomic struggles 45 years later, according to experts. Vang Pao even set up a heroin laboratory at the secret US CIA base at Long Cheng. Southeast Asian American refugees have survived war, famine and genocide. "Pappy Hicks", U.S. Special Forces Association, and others.[75][79]. Tou Long Yang, left, and General Vang Pao of the Royal Lao Army, right, at the Plain of Jars in 1971. The community has also been grappling with deportations, a threat that has grown in recent years. Primary Location During Vietnam: Long Tieng. Five years later, Vang Pao's name was removed from a new school in Madison after opponents said it should not bear the name of a man with such a blood-stained history. 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 . (of a rule, principle, etc.) It was a major human rights victory for the Hmong and Lao community and non-profit advocacy organizations who urged an end to forced repatriation, including the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) and the Lao Veterans of America. contact customer service Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Later, in the United States, he was so revered that some of his people believed he had supernatural powers. Hmong General Vang Pao, a courageous and powerful leader, worked in tandem with the CIA to conduct covert operations in Laos. Now, under these new policies of deportation, they will be deported.. He was 52 when he arrived and struggled to find a stable job that let him provide for his family. There will probably be a search for identity. [76] The Lao Veterans of America, Philip Smith, the CPPA and other prominent figures also highlighted and lauded Vang Pao's contribution to U.S. national security interests during the Vietnam War. I never knew his story. (NEWS)(SERIES: THE COVERT WARS OF VANG PAO)", Her, Lucy, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota),(28 November 2003)"McCollum praises policy shift by Hmong general Vang Pao. Yang and his family initially fled to a refugee camp in Thailand, then to France, before ultimately relocating to Rhode Island in 1991. "He's always been kind of the glue that held everyone together," said Lar Yang of Fresno, who featured an interview with Vang Pao last month in the Hmong business directory he publishes annually. Death. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, U.S. Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, said she had no immediate comment. When the CIA needed an ally, they found a charismatic, passionate young man not afraid to die. Read FULL Criminal Complaints Against General Vang Pao HERE. In this 45th year anniversary, it is this history of resilience and love that reminds us that we are all in this together not just to provide relief today, but to repair the systemic harms that led us here in the first place - so that together we're building a better today and tomorrow for the next generation, she said.
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