“I am not leaving” 

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General Vang Pao did all he could to help us, but [the war] was at a dead end. At the end of it, they sent people to my office and informed me to take all of my people to the hills [that surrounded Long Cheng]. This time we have decided that we will stay and fight, the General will not leave. The decision to fight was just one week before. We sent all the women and children out to safe places and anticipated the North Vietnamese Army would attack Long Cheng. All the soldiers surrounded the hills and were prepared to fight. Then on the 13th or 14th [day of May 1975], we heard the General say he made the decision to evacuate. For the ones who want to stay–stay, but the ones who couldn’t stay—find a way to flee. I said to my soldiers: The war did not go the way we wanted. The country has fallen [to communist hands]. Go home to your wife and children. I made the decision to leave.