Lt. Vang Xai
"Neng Cha Xai Vang"
SGU Veteran
Minneapolis, MN
File No.: 2/50
Feb. 2024

Xai Vang was born in 1954 in Sam Neua Province, Laos. In the early 1960s, his father and brothers were recruited as SGU soldiers into the CIA-backed Secret War. In 1967, at age 13, Vang joined the military and was sent to Thailand for several months for combat training. Since his return to Long Cheng, he had been deployed and fought in most of the battles defending his homeland, especially in the Xieng Khouang and Sam Neua provinces. In May 1975, the war ended with the communist Lao regime taking over the country. He resumed civilian life with his family under the new government.  However, Vang and his relatives were being investigated by communist troops about their involvement in the war as SGU soldiers. In May 1979, fearful of enemy retaliation, Vang and his family headed for Thailand. On February 29, 1980, they packed their belongings and immigrated to the US. They settled in Minneapolis and have lived there since. Vang’s first job in his new homeland was in light industrial cleaning. ∆

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