[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6050-H6051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             HMONG VETERANS

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, today I will introduce legislation that 
will provide for burial benefits in national cemeteries to Hmong 
veterans who served in support of U.S. forces in Vietnam.
  Given the service to our Nation, I believe this is an appropriate 
honor. During the Vietnam War, officers from the

[[Page H6051]]

CIA Special Activities Division trained and led Hmong men in Laos and 
in Vietnam for special combat activities. These forces numbered in the 
tens of thousands and conducted missions against communist forces and 
the North Vietnamese, fighting shoulder to shoulder with U.S. soldiers.
  Since the end of the conflict in Vietnam, thousands of Hmong families 
have resettled around the United States today and as a result of a law 
signed by President Ford are now United States citizens. Only a few 
thousand of these original veterans remain alive today.
  As was done with the Philippine Armed Forces who served in support of 
U.S. in World War II, we should recognize that precedent by offering 
internment privileges to national cemeteries after verification and 
documentation is completed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  I urge you to support this legislation.

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