Laos Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Laos Memorial is a small memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
, located between the path to the JFK memorial
and the Tomb of the Unknowns
, in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States
. The memorial commemorates the veterans of the "Secret War" in Laos
.
Approved by the U.S. Department of Defense
, but paid for by Hmong
veterans, the memorial stands as a tribute to the Hmong
, Lao
, and other ethnic groups and American advisors who made up the Secret War effort during the Vietnam War
.
The day has since been viewed as an historical one, since it represents the first time that the United States
government officially and publicly recognized the contributions of these soldiers who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War
. A covert war, the contributions of the Hmong to the U.S. war effort against the North Vietnamese Army
and VietCong
in Laos had been officially and repeatedly denied by the U.S. government during the Vietnam War and for over two decades following its end. Despite U.S. denials, however, the Secret War was actually the largest U.S. covert operation prior to the Soviet war in Afghanistan
, with areas of Laos controlled by North Vietnam
subjected to years of intense American aerial bombardment, representing the heaviest U.S. bombing campaign since World War II
.
Twenty-four years following the end of the Secret War, under significant political pressure from several U.S. conservatives who argued that there no longer existed any national security interest in denying the Secret War's existence and that its denial was being used by the Clinton administration
to justify a forced repatriation
of the Hmong to Laos, the U.S. government formally reversed its position, acknowledging both the existence of the U.S.-led Secret War and the Hmong's contribution to U.S. efforts during the conflict. This official reversal of U.S. policy has since been considered monumental and nearly without precedent in American foreign policy since, in acknowledging the Secret War's existence, the U.S. also implicitly acknowledged that it had lied for decades in denying that it had engaged in combat operations in Laos during the Vietnam War.
The reversal of policy was subsequently supported even more forcibly by the George W. Bush
administration, which strongly supported the earlier demands of U.S. conservatives that Thailand
-based Hmong refugees from Laos be afforded U.S. immigration rights.
The Secret War was funded, supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
's Special Activities Division
and led by General Vang Pao
, a Hmong military leader who led the Hmong in supporting tens of thousands of U.S. air combat raids, along with major ground operations, against the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong in Laos during the Vietnam War. The Secret War was designed to counter North Vietnam's military supply efforts through Laos to South Vietnam
, which U.S. military officials believed were core to North Vietnam's war strategy to destabilize U.S.-aligned South Vietnam. This memorial was the culmination of the efforts of leading U.S. conservatives and several U.S. special operations veterans, including Anthony Poshepny
and others.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
, located between the path to the JFK memorial
John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame is a presidential memorial at the gravesite of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery. The permanent site replaced a temporary grave and eternal flame used during President Kennedy's funeral on November 25, 1963. The site was designed by...
and the Tomb of the Unknowns
Tomb of the Unknowns
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States...
, in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The memorial commemorates the veterans of the "Secret War" in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
Approved by the U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, but paid for by Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
veterans, the memorial stands as a tribute to the Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
, and other ethnic groups and American advisors who made up the Secret War effort during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Historical significance
The Laos Memorial was dedicated on May 15, 1997 in an emotional Arlington Cemetery ceremony attended by thousands, including Hmong war veterans and refugees, American government officials, and U.S. supporters of the Hmong.The day has since been viewed as an historical one, since it represents the first time that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government officially and publicly recognized the contributions of these soldiers who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. A covert war, the contributions of the Hmong to the U.S. war effort against the North Vietnamese Army
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
and VietCong
National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
in Laos had been officially and repeatedly denied by the U.S. government during the Vietnam War and for over two decades following its end. Despite U.S. denials, however, the Secret War was actually the largest U.S. covert operation prior to the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, with areas of Laos controlled by North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
subjected to years of intense American aerial bombardment, representing the heaviest U.S. bombing campaign since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Twenty-four years following the end of the Secret War, under significant political pressure from several U.S. conservatives who argued that there no longer existed any national security interest in denying the Secret War's existence and that its denial was being used by the Clinton administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
to justify a forced repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
of the Hmong to Laos, the U.S. government formally reversed its position, acknowledging both the existence of the U.S.-led Secret War and the Hmong's contribution to U.S. efforts during the conflict. This official reversal of U.S. policy has since been considered monumental and nearly without precedent in American foreign policy since, in acknowledging the Secret War's existence, the U.S. also implicitly acknowledged that it had lied for decades in denying that it had engaged in combat operations in Laos during the Vietnam War.
The reversal of policy was subsequently supported even more forcibly by the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration, which strongly supported the earlier demands of U.S. conservatives that Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
-based Hmong refugees from Laos be afforded U.S. immigration rights.
The Secret War was funded, supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
's Special Activities Division
Special Activities Division
The Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
and led by General Vang Pao
Vang Pao
Vang Pao was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army. He was an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States.-Early life:...
, a Hmong military leader who led the Hmong in supporting tens of thousands of U.S. air combat raids, along with major ground operations, against the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong in Laos during the Vietnam War. The Secret War was designed to counter North Vietnam's military supply efforts through Laos to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, which U.S. military officials believed were core to North Vietnam's war strategy to destabilize U.S.-aligned South Vietnam. This memorial was the culmination of the efforts of leading U.S. conservatives and several U.S. special operations veterans, including Anthony Poshepny
Anthony Poshepny
Anthony Alexander Poshepny , known as Tony Poe, was a CIA paramilitary officer in what is now called Special Activities Division...
and others.
Dedication words on Laos Memorial
The Laos Memorial is inscribed with the following words:- Dedicated to:
- the U.S. Secret Army
- in the Kingdom of Laos
- 1961 - 1973
- In memory of the Hmong/Mong and Lao combat
- veterans and their American advisors
- who served freedom's causes in
- Southeast Asia. Their patriotic valor
- and loyalty in the defense of liberty and
- democracy will never be forgotten.
- YOV (yuav) TSHUA TXOG NEJ MUS IB TXHIS
- LAOS VETERANS OF AMERICA
- May 15, 1997
See also
- Hmong peopleHmong peopleThe Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
- Laotian Civil War
- North Vietnamese invasion of LaosNorth Vietnamese invasion of LaosThe North Vietnamese invaded Laos between 1958–1959.Souvanna Phouma announced that with the holding of elections the Royal Lao Government had fulfilled the political obligations it had assumed at Geneva, and the International Control Commission adjourned sine die...
- Special Activities DivisionSpecial Activities DivisionThe Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
- MACVSOG