May 14: Hmong SGU Remembrance Day
MN Governor Tim Walz signed the “Hmong Special Guerrilla Units Remembrance Day” into law during the 2019 MN Legislature Session. This event was attended by MN lawmakers and SGU veterans. (Photo courtesy Capt. Ganghis Khang)
Every May 14 the Hmong SGU veterans and their families gather at memorial sites to pay tribute to their fallen comrades and deceased family members from the Secret War. This war lasted 14 years, from 1961-1975. Hmong Americans honor this day as a significant historical event. On April 30, 1975, the U.S. evacuated out of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. In Laos, on May 14, 1975, all U.S. military personnel exited. General Vang Pao and 2,500 of his high ranking officers and their families were also evacuated out of Long Cheng into Thailand. This day symbolized the end of this brutal military conflict and new beginnings for the U.S.-backed Hmong soldiers and their families as they sought political refuge in Thailand.
"It falls upon my four colleagues of Hmong descent and me to do what we can to soothe the restless spirits of America's Secret War Veterans and their families, to give them a day of recognition for their suffering and their sacrifices. This amendment seeks to remind Americans and Minnesotans that the United States and this chamber is a country and legislative body that does not forget its friends, especially friends that fought alongside American soldiers for the values this great nation stands for."
— Rep. Tou Xiong
DFL-Maplewood
MN Legislature
April 30, 2019
Long Cheng • CIA and Laos’ Military Region 2 Headquarters
Long Cheng (Long Tieng, Looj Ceeb) was a strategic location Vang Pao sought after as the new Headquarters for the Royal Lao Army’s Military Region 2. By 1964, the CIA began construction of the site and turned into an airbase for its clandestine paramilitary activities and the troops were commanded by Vang Pao until 1975. (Photo courtesy G. Jenkins).
May 14, 1975 • Evacuation of Long Cheng
On May 14, 1975, the CIA and USAF orchestrated the final evacuation of U.S. military personnel, Gen. Vang Pao, his ranking officers, their families, and anyone who was able to climb onto the plane out of Long Cheng. They were flown to the refugee camp Namphong, Thailand. This day marked the end of the CIA’s clandestine operation in Laos. (Photo courtesy SGU Collection).