Mrs. Ka L. Moua
Widow During the Secret War
St. Paul, MN
File No.: 11/50
St. Paul, MN

Ka Lee Moua was born in 1939 in Laos. Growing up, she helped her family with household chores and field work. She married Moua Pao, who was an orphan, during the Secret War. In 1969, their marriage was met with tragedy when he was killed in action at Bouam Loung military base, leaving Moua and their young children. To survive, she continued to collect her late husband’s military death pensions. As the war waged on, she struggled as a single parent. However, her children were her motivation and this resilience kept her going. When the war ended in 1975, she sought safety in the jungle of Laos along with distant relatives. She protected her young children at all costs while running away from communists Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army soldiers from attacking them. With luck, she managed to take her children to Thailand and onward to the US. ∆

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