Hmong Immigration in Wisconsin

Who, why and where are our Hmong Immigrants in Wisconsin and the importance of reaching out to them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ with an

open hearts, open minds, open doors

In Memory of Legions Lost and the Soldiers of the Secret War in Laos.

Arlington National Cemetery

Who are the

Hmong?

Dedicated To The U.S. Secret Army

In The Kingdom Of Laos 1961 - 1973

In Memory Of the Hmong And Lao Combat Veterans And Their American Advisors

Who Served Freedom's Cause In Southeast Asia.  Their Patriotic Valor

And Loyalty In The Defense Of Liberty And Democracy Will Never Be Forgotten

YOV TSHU TXOG NEJ MUS IB TXHIS

LAOS VETERANS OF AMERICA May 15, 1997

The MemorialInscription

The story of this Memorial is a story of sacrifice and patriotic valor by American Advisors and Hmong and Lao combat soldiers in the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Hmong highest rank military officer, General Vang Pao and his army, once considered among the best of U.S. allies, helped the Administrations of U.S. Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon in the "secret" Lao Theater during the Vietnam War. The United States in its effort to combat communist insurgency in Laos, recruited, armed, and trained ethnic minorities in Laos. Advised by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), General Vang Pao’s army of Hmong, Kmhmu, and Lao, gathered military intelligence, rescued downed U.S. air crews, protected U.S. Air Force navigational sites in Laos, and fought North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap’s ever increasing forces to a standstill in Laos for a decade.

When, after the fall of Laos, the communists took control, they launched a genocidal campaign to punish or eliminate those who allied with the United States, particularly those who had served in the U.S. Secret Army. Tens of thousands of Hmong escaped across the Mekong River to Thailand and refugee camps. From there, former soldiers and their families eventually were resettled in the United States. Once here, the Hmong adjustment proved difficult, but few Americans knew of their historical alliance with the U.S. adding to their resettlement problems

Because the campaigns waged by General Vang Pao and General Giap were secret, most Americans knew little, if anything, of the secret war in Laos. Not until almost 20 years after falling to the communists did U.S. Government officials publicly admit the existence and role of the "U.S. Secret Army" in the "secret" Lao Theater of Operation of the Vietnam War. Appearing before Congress, in 1994, the Honorable William E. Colby, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, talked of the "heroism and effectiveness of the Hmong struggle" and the critical role and sacrifice of the Secret Army. In part, Colby said:"For 10 years, Vang Pao’s soldiers held the growing North Vietnamese forces to approximately the same battlelines they held in 1962. And significantly for

Americans, the 70,000 North Vietnamese engaged in Laos were not available to add to the forces fighting Americans and South Vietnamese in South

Vietnam."After Ambassador Colby’s acknowledgment, a handful of

Americans who knew well the Hmong alliance with the U.S. felt it timely to seek official U.S. recognition for the soldiers of the Secret Army and their American Advisors who died in Laos. Mr. Grant McClure, a former U.S. Army Advisor to the Hmong, became the moving force behind the idea of a permanent Memorial Monument at Arlington National Cemetery to nationally and publicly honor the uncommon sacrifices of the (US) Secret Army.

As a result, a Memorial Monument was erected and dedicated acknowledging the "secret war" in Laos – and the Hmong, Lao, and American Advisors who valiantly served freedom's cause in the jungles of Southeast Asia and, in so doing, died in the Lao Theater in the Vietnam War.

Governor Jim Doyle delivered the keynote address at the Lao, Hmong, and American Veterans Memorial Dedication on July 15, 2006 in Sheboygan. The memorial is the first of its kind and will honor the contributions of Lao and Hmong soldiers who fought alongside the U.S. military during the Vietnam Conflict. The Governor also presented a proclamation and lead the ribon-cutting ceremony.

Governor Doyle leads the unveiling of the Lao, Hmong, and American Veterans Memorial

Lao Hmong VeteranMemorial Day Parade, May 28, 2007

Appleton, Wisconsin

Hmong ImmigrantsRefugee ResettlementAfter the Vietnam War, Hmong were allowed to resettle in the United States

and other countries, with the majority coming to the US.

• First wave (1975-1978) – Under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975• December, 1975 – First Hmong family to resettle in the US• By 1978, 34,466 Hmong had resettled in the US, mainly of

families directly associated with the Secret Army.• Second wave (1980 – 1990) – Under the Refugee Acts of 1980

for families of families directly involved with the Secret Army.• Third wave (1992-1995) -- Attempt of closing down refugee

camps: repatriation or resettlement in the US• Final wave (2004-2006) – Over 15,000 from Wat Tham Krabok

monastery, Thailand

Hmong American Population Today• US Census 1990 – 94,439• US Census 2000 – 186,310• US Census 2010 – 260,073, with concentration in

four states:• California = 91,224

• Minnesota = 66,181

• Wisconsin = 49,240

• North Carolina = 10,864

• Current Hmong Estimate = 450,000

Why Settled in Wisconsin?• 1983 began the mass relocation and reunification of

families to Wisconsin• Economic support programs• Education—adult literacy programs (ESL, GED,

Technical training)• Family relocation and reunification• Jobs• $1 Home Buying Program (Milwaukee)• Farming opportunities

Immigration Issues• 99% of Hmong Immigrants ancestry are

refugees and have permanent residence status or US born

• Most Hmong refugees are now neutralized US citizens

• Still about 1% whose status are not refugees and seeking asylum

• Issues are more prevalent with culture clash, legal and social adjustment.

A Clash of Cultures

A Clash of Cultures: the Hmong Community Coping with Change There are still many unanswered questions in the murder-suicide of a Weston couple this week. Police say Chor Thao killed his pregnant wife Pa Houa Tuesday morning, and stabbed himself to death later that night after being chased by police. Investigators say the couple was divorcing, and Chor’s resistance to that was probably a motive. The Hmong community says violence isn’t part of their culture, but that some Hmong families are struggling with a big change in culture.

August 31, 2007

1. Domestic Violence

A conference to address Hmong domestic violence was held at

Wausau on July 11th, 2009. 

Representatives from Wisconsin Coalition against Domestic Violence, District Attorneys from Wausau area, and Hmong leaders from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California included Hmong International Leader Gen. Vang Pao were participated in the conference to address domestic violence in the Hmong community.

The discussions focused on the three Hmong couples killed from 2007 to 2009 in Wisconsin; Chor Thao killed his wife and later he killed himself.   Pheng Yang killed his wife and he is now serving his sentence in jail.  And Dan Xiong killed his wife and turned the gun to himself.  Based on the news for these cases, the husbands were the killers.  This has been labeled by the mainstream that Hmong men are bad.

Most of the killing cases involved when the wives were about to leave the husband for another man.

2. Suicide and homicide

• 3 suicides by hanging in the 12 months in Milwaukee

• A mom who killed her 6 children (St. Paul, MN 1998)

• Among Christians and non-Christians alike

• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

• Noncompliance to Medication

• The increase of mental illness, renal failure and high blood pressure among seniors

3. Medicine

• Legal system here does not seem to serve justice to the Hmong culture.• Child Discipline• Issue of assaults with under age

marriage• Clash between families and

respects

4. Legal Matters

5. Single Parent Families• The increase of Divorce Rate and

Child Support become prevalent• Single parent households (7% in 2000)

The Hmong ResponseHmong Mutual Assistance organizationsHmong Women AssociationsHmong National DevelopmentHmong Lao VeteransHmong Cultural CenterHmong Adult Day Care CenterHmong 18 Council

Complication in culture clashThe legal system takes precedenceHmong value system diminishingFamily disintegration and distrustLimited resources and resistance

Bottom line: The cultural norm that used to hold and strengthen Hmong families is no long viable here in the US. Neither culture (Hmong and American) can be trusted fully

An Opportunity for the Gospel The root issues can’t be resolved with our social service organizations or the legal system

About one-tenth Hmong are Christians (45,000/450,000)

The Gospel is the power of salvation and basic instructions of right living (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:16)

We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The church is a place of change which develops, renews and nurtures life, its value and purpose. We have this obligation as God’s witnesses and servants to these Hmong people so they may come to know the Lord, as well as helping them to adjust well in this country.