[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF CAPTAIN D.L. ``PAPPY'' HICKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 1999

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute 
to a true American hero, Captain D.L. ``Pappy'' Hicks. In a recent trip 
to Washington, Pappy was honored by Congress for his dedication and 
service in the Secret Army, which operated in Laos during the Korean 
and Vietnam Wars.
  Pappy was a deep, covert operator in clandestine operations in South 
Asia from 1959 until 1982. Many of these operations have remained 
concealed over the years as a result of their top secret nature. 
American citizens and U.S. troops, alike, were unaware that any 
fighting was occurring in Laos during the Vietnam War, hence the 
operations have often been called the ``Secret War''. The Secret Army 
was comprised of Hmong and other Laotian Mountain people in cooperation 
with the Royal Laotian Army and American advisors such as the CIA, U.S. 
Army Special Forces, and U.S. Army covert operators. Yet, as a result 
of the covert nature of their service, the men who gave their lives 
serving in the Secret Army in Laos are not recognized on the Vietnam 
War Memorial. Their mission was to find potential enemies of the United 
States operating within the Laotian borders with the North Vietnamese. 
Reportedly, these men saved thousands of American lives through their 
efforts; thus, their recent Washington tribute was an emotional one for 
Pappy.
  At the ceremony, Pappy was given a pa'ndua, a ritualistic cloth used 
to tell the history of the Hmong people, by General Vang Pao, his Laos 
commanding officer. In his speech, Pappy struggled to fight back tears 
as he recollected his time in Laos and the injuries he sustained while 
operating in that area. As he spoke to his fellow soldiers, Pappy 
remarked, ``Ever so often, years after the fact, when we become old 
men, we who worked in the dark are let out in the light for a moment of 
glory. For me, this is the day''.
  Captain Hicks, from the Fourth District of Texas, currently resides 
in Troup, Texas, with his lovely wife of forty-five years, Marjorie Ann 
Tupa. Mr. Speaker, as we adjourn today, let us do so in honor of this 
true American hero--Captain D.L. ``Pappy'' Hicks.

                          ____________________