Full transcript
0:00Let's take you guys back to the
0:04Hmong Secret War.
0:07>> [music]
0:08>> A deeper dive into what really happened.
0:13>> In 1954, the French [music] lost control
0:16of the Southeast Asia and surrendered,
0:19resulting [music] in Vietnam [singing]
0:21splitting into countries as
0:23restructured. [music]
0:25North Vietnam was reformed as a
0:27communist country, while the South
0:30decided to stay as democracy. Crawling
0:32[music] in comes the USA to give the
0:35South support. This was the beginning of
0:37the Vietnam [singing] War. In [music]
0:391955, US officials got involved and
0:42things got escalated. [music]
0:45Not expecting such a power from a small
0:47country and being dominated.
0:50The newly [music] elected US President
0:52JFK authorized the recruitment of ethnic
0:55[music] minorities in Laos.
0:57That's right. That's us, the Hmong
0:59people and General Vang [singing] Pao.
1:02CIA agent Bill Lair Man [music] with the
1:04young GVP discussing the support of US
1:08objectives in Laos and [music] their
1:09needs. Promises were made and supplies
1:12were given. Hmong was blinded by the
1:14promises and will [music] soon learn the
1:16lesson disagreement in helping the US
1:18initiated the start of the Secret War.
1:21All [music] because Hmong people was
1:23hoping it would open them new doors.
1:28>> [music]
1:28>> Year 1963, three more than 19,000 Hmong
1:31men were recruited by the CIA. These men
1:35were assigned [music] to the special
1:36guerrilla units on secret mission night
1:39and day.
1:40>> [music]
1:40>> The Hmong girls had the opportunity to
1:42go to school. Ladies were trained to
1:44tend to the wounds with medical tools.
1:47The two worst years of 1968 and '69
1:50[music] were over 18,000 Hmong soldiers
1:52were killed, depleting the secret army
1:55[music] and needed to backfill. From
1:57drivers all the way to minors,
2:00If you could aim a gun, you were
2:02recruited [music] to be a soldier.
2:05Yeah.
2:06In 1973, [music]
2:07a ceasefire and political peace treaty
2:10was signed. What does this mean? The US
2:13and all foreign powers have to withdraw
2:15and resign. As time goes [music] on, the
2:17secret war was weighing heavily on the
2:19Mong.
2:21US troops [music] were pulled out
2:22completely and Mong had to stay strong.
2:24By 1975, the Vietnam War was finally
2:27over. But for the Mong people, the
2:29secret war continued and got colder.
2:32Families scrambled for [music] their
2:33lives as the Pathet Lao launched an
2:35aggressive campaign. A campaign to
2:38capture or kill [music] all Mong
2:40soldiers and families who sided with the
2:42CIA's domain. TVP and his Mong soldiers
2:45took a flight to [music] the US. Mong
2:47families escaped to the jungle with
2:49shattered spirit like broken glass.
2:51Running and hiding, not knowing if you
2:53will be killed or alive. [music] Forced
2:55to mobile and down baby's throat because
2:57of their cry. They said, "Would you
2:58rather [music] let one die or all of us
3:00perish?" Some let the baby get overdose.
3:04Some left with the baby [music] and
3:06vanish.
3:08Getting shot and drowned while crossing
3:09the Mekong [music] River. Finally
3:12escaping the Thailand to live, feeling
3:14like a winner. This is the secret war
3:16within a war that no one knows. [music]
3:18For those of you that know, don't be
3:20ashamed and let it show.
3:23>> [music]
3:24>> No matter how it started,
3:27we are in a better place.
3:30So, let's appreciate.
3:34Stay united.
3:34>> [music]