[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LAO VETERANS OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SEAN P. DUFFY

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 10, 2018

  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor the Wisconsin 
Lao Veterans of America, Inc. (WLVA), an organization founded in 1991 
to serve the Lao Veteran community in Wisconsin by advancing the 
opportunities and recognition for those who fought in the CIA's secret 
war in Laos.
  This organization has been instrumental in helping the Hmong-Lao 
veterans to adjust to life in the United States, and has shaped their 
experience here in Wisconsin through assistance in assimilation, 
recognition, and societal advancement.
  WLVA was founded in 1991 by General Vang Pao, who was the commander 
of the ``Secret Army'' which was conscripted by the CIA to fight 
against the People's Army of Vietnam. He was the only ethnic Hmong to 
be elevated to the position of General in the Royal Lao Army.
  Currently, Captain Nao Shoua Xiong of Wausau, WI leads the WLVA as 
their president, and has been at the forefront of assisting the Hmong 
community in all aspects of life in Wisconsin.
  On behalf of the residents of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, 
I would like to thank the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America for their 
service to our country and our community.

                          ____________________