The Secret War
by Stephanie Griesi
Between 1957 and 1971, the U.S. military trained thousands of Hmong civilians to fight communist troops in Laos and South Vietnam. Fearful that a wave of communism would be triggered by Laos' loss to the Pathet Lao (PL) army, the CIA helped Hmong leader General Vang Pao set up a "secret army" in order to hold off the advance of communist insurgents. During the Secret War, from 1968 to 1973, over 30,000 Hmong were killed — the majority of them civilians. Hmong support for the American war effort ended in 1973 in accordance with the Paris Cease-Fire agreement.
Although the U.S. government promised to protect the Hmong in return for their services, the Hmong were left to defend themselves against the PL army after U.S. troops pulled out of Laos in 1975. Even before the Communist takeover was complete, the Laotian government held "re-education seminars" for those who had not previously subscribed to the Communist Party. Reports circulated saying Hmong were tortured for assisting the United States in the war. But small pockets of Hmong resistance fighters eventually emerged. The Laotian government initially used propaganda to counteract the reports, but it later sent regiments of Vietnamese troops to crack down on the growing rebellion.
Fearing the wrath of the PL and South Vietnamese armies, the Hmong fled the country. Thousands of them crossed the Mekong River into Thailand, arriving in droves at refugee camps. In addition to facing starvation and disease, Hmong refugees feared they would be shot by the PL army and would drown in the Mekong River.
Eventually, many Hmong were able to migrate across the Pacific ocean. Between 250,000 and 300,000 Hmong now live in the United States.
