Revisiting a Piece of My Family History
07 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
General Vang Pao’s death reminds me of how much I don’t know about my family history and the importance of knowing it. We don’t talk about it much because it’s not exactly a dinner topic and most people prefer to put it behind them. Nonetheless, over the years I’ve learned bits and pieces from talking to my parents, reading, watching plays, etc…
It’s appalling what happened to the community after the US pulled out. The Hmong were seen as traitors and were persecuted. People fled as villages were burned and people – young and old were killed. They fled to Thailand in the middle of the night; hiding from soldiers during the day and walking towards safety at night. They stumbled across dead bodies and gave opium to their children to keep them quiet. Upon their arrival at the Mekong River, they built rafts made out of bamboo to cross the river. Once they reached Thailand, they were searched and had to bribe soldiers in order to enter. Even though they had reached safety, they continued to suffer in the refugee camps dependent on assistance from NGOs and faced with an uncertain future.
Every single Hmong person whose family fought on the side of the US (there are people who sided with the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao) has stories to tell about his/her family’s involvement in the war, family members who died as a result, etc… My maternal grandfather, a village chief, was a soldier early on in the war and died during the war. One of my maternal uncles was recruited at the age of 14 or 15 to join the army and died as a result. Many more relatives died as well. My paternal grandfather was also a soldier and also died during the war. My maternal aunt ended up in a re-education camp in North Vietnam for a bit. She was fortunate to escape to Thailand. Everyone on my mother’s side fled to Thailand in the late 70s. My father’s side, however, did not leave Laos until the late 80s having surrendered to the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao armies when most people fled to Thailand. They eventually decided to leave Laos fearful for their lives.
The plight of the Hmong people is rather sad. They were promised sanctuary if the US were to lose but the US never really fulfilled that promise. If you think about it, they lost their homes, valuables, family members and homeland and risked their lives for nothing. To this day, the Hmong people in the US are treated as unwanted residents. All the soldiers who fought and died on the behalf the US have yet to receive the honor that they deserve. The Hmong are seen as people who are primitive, lazy, living off of “Americans,” unwilling to integrate into society, etc.. What they forget is that most Hmong people, who fled, never intended to spend their lives in the US, Thailand, Australia, France, etc… Many cling onto to the hope that they will one day return to their homeland. General Vang Pao’s death signifies the reality that it will never happen.
The Hmong people are still seen as traitors (even though we were not the only ones to fight with the US) in Laos. The Hmong living in the jungle are still persecuted even though they have tried to surrender to the Laotian government. The Hmong community in Laos who have relocated to the low-lands continues to suffer; they have one of the poorest standard of living in Laos. The chances of them ever succeeding is very slim because the Laotian government will never forget that they took up arms with the US. I can only hope that with General Vang Pao’s death they will treat the Hmong better.
If my parents had the option they would go back to Laos. At times my mom has said that she does not want to return, but you can tell that she misses it a lot. She still remembers the village that she grew up in even though it has been destroyed and there is nothing but wild plants in its place.
