Note: This is a unique book & a treasure because it was the only one we could find from a native Lao author! In addition, he is Hmong, which is an indigenous group in Southeast & East Asia with a rich culture & language that originated in China before migration began in the 19th century.
While Wang Yee Vang was born in Laos, he, like a number of his countrymen, was recruited to join the US Secret Army defending US national security interests from 1961 to 1975. First training in Thailand, he returned to Laos to fight in “The Secret War”, a covert CIA-backed effort to seize power from Communists during the Vietnam War. Vang rose up thru the ranks in the army before attaining the rank of Colonel and the fall of Laos when he left the country eventually settling in the US. He then went on to found Lao Veterans of America, a Lao- and Hmong-American veterans’ non-profit organization.
From the preface: “I wrote this memoir because many of my colleagues suggested, while I was working for Lao and Hmong communities inside and outside Laos for decades, that I should tell the young generations what happened and why some 500,000 Lao citizens became refugees and immigrated to Western countries.
I noted what I remembered and what I faced while I was working for the Royal Lao Government because I was one of the regular officers. My civil grade and military rank were given by the king of Laos, which we called royal ordinance.
I hope that this work would help our young generations in doing some research. May it help them accomplish their goals and the works that they need to accomplish. Thank you for reading this memoir.”