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| Photo courtesy of MPR |
Vang Pao led the Hmong armies and conducted military operations in Laos under the CIA. Vang Pao not only led the troops during the Vietnam Conflict, but he stands as a revered leader of the Hmong people today. When many people heard that Vang Pao left the country, Hmong citizens knew that their way of life would be challenged. Vang Pao, their military leader, would not be able to defend them. This signaled many Hmong families that it was time to leave the country. For oral histories that tell these tales, read
Hmong Means Free for a gripping account!
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| Courtesy of LaoHmongUSMemorial |
Lee Lue flew 5000 missions for the US before he was shot down in heavy fire. He was a teacher before he volunteered to learn how to fly planes. He was one of the most successful pilots in the conflict, setting records and living out his motto, "Fly Until You Die."
Kao Kalia Yang wrote
The Latehomecommer, a memoir of a Hmong family. The family fled Laos and the communist regime. After living in the Ban Vinai refugee camp her entire life, Kao Kalia Yang, along with her family, moved to St. Paul. Her memoir tells her story, but also the stories of many Hmong and many refugee families. She graduated from Harding High School, a close neighbor to Johnson. She was not in the first wave of immigration, nor the last, and her story easily tells both the history and a hazy, hopeful future for Hmong folks.
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| Photo courtesy of MPR Photo/Tom Weber |
Mee Moua became the first Hmong senator, running in District 67, St. Paul's East Side, as a DFL candidate. She retired in 2010 and did not seek re-election. She shows the political activity of the Hmong community and advocated for all of Minnesota.
Mai Neg Moua is best known for editing an anthology of Hmong literature called
Bamboo Among The Oaks. She is also the editor of
Paj Ntaub Voice, a journal of Hmong authors. She lives in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area and continues to be active in literary circles. She is married with a baby girl.
