[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1081]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF THE HMONG PILOTS OF THE SECRET 
                              WAR IN LAOS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2012

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, during the Vietnam War another ``secret 
war'' was taking place in Laos with thousands of Hmong fighters 
assisting the U.S. The Hmong who risked their lives for the freedom of 
their country and in the aid of the U.S. suffered tremendously as they 
served with great courage.
  This weekend in Maplewood, Minnesota, a little known group of Hmong 
pilot veterans of the secret war gathered and were recognized by the 
U.S. Air Force in appreciation of their heroism. Supported by the U.S., 
some 38 Hmong pilots were trained to fly counterinsurgency missions 
between 1967 and 1975. Seventeen of those pilots are alive today and 
were honored, along with posthumous awards for 21 deceased colleagues, 
by Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz.
  I, too, would like to recognize and honor those brave Hmong pilots 
who are living examples of courage, along with the pilots who 
sacrificed their lives. The secret war was a difficult and painful time 
for the Hmong people. Today, decades later, Minnesota is the home to 
many who lived through those years of war and suffering. As Hmong 
Americans of all generations contribute to making Minnesota and the 
U.S. a stronger and more prosperous land, we must never forget the 
service, sacrifice, and courage of the Hmong warriors who fought on 
land and in the sky for freedom during the secret war.
  Again, I join in the recognition and remembrance of 38 Hmong pilots 
who risked their lives for freedom.

                          ____________________