All posts filed under: veterans

Lao America’s 2017 Year in Review

Published by Saysomphorn Sisavatdy

What a year?! Perhaps propelled and fueled by covfefe, it really felt like the personal and the public occupied some blurred lines in 2017. This year showed us what happens when you throw enough water particles into a vat of hot oil the size of a planet. Is anyone left innocent and unshaken? To those that can make that claim…share that medication before it’s re-allocated to the rich! Take a look below and let us know what we might have missed! January After the US Presidential Election slammed to a close, one of our staffers at Little Laos on the Prairie felt it prudent to address the shocking results…and its massive implications. Not surprisingly, we weren’t the only ones shocked with the results. The Laotian Times also addressed the elections. On January 24, “A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA” by Joshua Kurlantzick made its way to print. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia W. Patrick Murphy visited the Lao PDR on Jan 16 and 17. He outlined several …

A 2015 Memorial Day First: Monument to Honor Hmong and Lao Veterans

Published by littlelaosontheprairie

Saturday, May 16th marked a historical moment for acknowledgment of Hmong and Lao veterans in Minnesota. Hundreds of invited Hmong and Lao veterans community, leaders, and public officials gathered in the capitol lawn of Saint Paul, for a breaking ground event to mark the first Hmong Lao Memorial Monument. The memorial will be built on the front lawn in the upcoming year ahead. The memorial’s design is reported to be a bronze bamboo shoot representing growth and prosperity. The monument will honor the over 80,000 Hmong and Lao soldiers who took part in the efforts with the United States military and CIA operations during the Laotian Civil War and Vietnam War era. The memorial’s success was a coordinated effort with local Hmong and Lao veteran community in MN, as well as similar movements across the states. It’s expected to finish by 2016, funded by an approved bonding bill and private contributions from the community. While the memorial is an important step towards recognition of Hmong and Lao veterans and their sacrifices, the next step for legislators to truly acknowledge veterans and their …