[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 175 (Tuesday, December 6, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING COLONEL SONG LENG XIONG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2016

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service 
of Colonel Song Leng Xiong. Colonel Song Leng Xiong passed away 
peacefully in the presence of his loved ones on September 28, 2016 in 
Minneapolis, Minnesota. August 14, 2017 would have been his 78th 
birthday.
   Colonel Song Leng Xiong was born in 1939 in the village of Ban Xoun, 
Mouang Ped, in the Xieng Khouang Province in Laos. He began his 
distinguished military career at the age of just 14, when he enlisted 
in the French Army and was selected to attend training in South 
Vietnam, serving as a radio operator from 1953 to 1954. From 1956 to 
1960, he was assigned a battalion to guard Route 7 in Muang Xoun, and 
later led the building of the Phou Vieng airfield in his home province.
   After being specially selected to further his training in Thailand, 
in June of 1960, Colonel Song Leng Xiong was tasked with selecting 
nearly 600 new recruits to receive special training as part of the 
United States Central Intelligence Agency's Special Guerilla Units. 
Through this program, the CIA recruited thousands of Hmong soldiers and 
military leaders like Colonel Song Leng Xiong to fight against the 
Communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army regulars in Laos, 
working as surrogate soldiers of the United States Armed Forces. As 
many as 100,000 Hmong were recruited and trained to serve as these 
secret warriors, bravely battling the North Vietnamese Army for our 
country's cause.
   Colonel Song Leng Xiong fought in many battles for our country. In 
addition to leading his own battalion, he personally rescued and 
retrieved over seven American pilots who were shot down over Laos. His 
is one of countless stories of Hmong service-members and military 
leaders who protected our country through conducting guerrilla actions, 
guarding key installations, gathering intelligence, and undertaking 
rescue missions--all in the name of freedom.
   While the Secret War in Laos ended in 1975, Colonel Song Leng 
Xiong's service to his people and our country did not. Many refugees of 
the Secret War sought a better life here in the United States. Colonel 
Song Leng Xiong, a refugee himself, chose to stay behind and continue 
helping his fellow refugees in the transition. He immigrated to 
Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1993 after the United Nations closed the Ban 
Vinai refugee camp. In Minneapolis, Colonel Song Leng Xiong became a 
leader in our community through his service as Chair of the Lao-Hmong 
American Coalition chapter of Minnesota. In this role, he and his wife, 
Manichan Xiong, worked to share the stories of their community so that 
all Americans never forget their sacrifice.
   I am honored to recognize my constituent Colonel Song Leng Xiong for 
his tremendous sacrifices on behalf of our country. We are all better 
off due to his life of service. His dedication to freedom and to this 
country will never be forgotten. Thank you, Colonel Song Leng Xiong, 
for protecting our country with such great distinction, and for the 
legacy you leave of continuing the fight for freedom.

                          ____________________