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                                                             HmOoB PrIdE    
Back ground on HMONG:
	There are roughly 160,000 Hmong people in the U.S., largely concentrated in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California. Several million Hmong people remain in China, Thailand, and Laos, speaking a variety of Hmong dialects. The Hmong language group is a monosyllabic, tonal language (7-12 tones, depending on the dialect), with features that may make it an important bridge (according to some people) between Thai, Burmese, Chinese, and other Austro-Asian languages. 
	The written language is said by some to have been eradicated over centuries of persecution in China (though it is not certain that there ever was a unique written language for Hmong). According to some traditions, Hmong women once sought to preserve their banned Hmong writing by stitching stylized characters into their dresses. Some of the symbols may have been preserved, but their meaning was lost. It was not until late in this century that a writing system for Hmong was introduced. Several forms were attempted, but the dominant method is a romanization system in which pronunciation seems highly nonintuitive for English and Hmong speakers alike, though it seems to be based on sound linguistic principles. (The letter "P" is pronounced as "B", "PH" as "P", "X" as "S", "S" as "SH", "T" as "D", "R" as something like "DR", etc. Tones are indicated by one of the consonants j,g,b,v,s or d at the end of each word, or no consonant for the mid-range level tone. It's terribly intimidating when first learning it, but it's pretty reasonable after all.) An increasing number of materials have been printed in the romanized Hmong language, but it is still difficult for most of the Hmong people to read. 
	The Asian Hmong culture is agrarian, with religious beliefs based in animism (including the use of shamans for guidance, healing, and other ceremonies). Hmong refugees in the U.S. struggle with our unusual ways, though the rising generation of youth have melted in well with American culture, even at the risk of losing touch with their heritage. For the older generation, adopting the new ways has been painful. The language is a great barrier to the elderly, many of whom have had no schooling and had no reading skills prior to coming to the U.S. Simple things like going to a store or walking through town can be terrifying experiences for the elderly. 
	The Hmong in the U.S. came mainly from Laos as refugees after the Vietnam War. They once lived idyllic agrarian lives in the hills of northern Laos, but that changed once many of them were recruited by the CIA to fight for us in the once-secret wars in Laos. They fought bravely and suffered many causalities, but once we pulled out from Vietnam and left them in the lurch, the North Vietnamese and their puppet government in Laos marked the Hmong for genocidal extinction. Many of the Hmong fled from invaders (and from chemical weapons, including "yellow rain" and other toxins), losing many lives as they traveled through the jungle and swam the Mekong river to Thailand. 
	Every Hmong family I have met here can tell of blood-chilling stories of escape or of the awful deaths of loved ones. It seems like everyone lost a mother, father, brother, sister, or spouse during the war and during the escape to Thailand and the U.S. The stories told by young people, describing what they experienced at age 4 or 5, are especially chilling.
	The Hmong are different and highly misunderstood. Real bigotry exists in some quarters. of the problem is that many Americans do no realize how they Hmong got here. Many think they are just flooding our borders to get welfare benefits. 

Excerpts from "Forgotten Soldiers"
"Forgotten Soldiers" is a lengthy article by Susan M. Barbieri, staff writer, in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Sunday, May 1, 1994, Page 1A:
Hmong veterans are aware that many Americans do not welcome refugees who do not speak English. They know that many are unaware of how the Hmong took orders from Americans, cooked food for them, guarded them, carried them when they were wounded, wrapped their bodies when they were killed. 
When their American friends left in 1974, Hmong hopes for a free Laos were dashed. Tou Yang, 41, constantly relives the years after the American pullout, when he and the other Hmong resisters were trapped in the mountains, valleys, and jungles that teemed with hostile troops. Though his body is here in Minnesota, Tou Yang's spirit walks in post-1974 Laos. "The Americans left and we felt abandoned and there was no escape. We couldn't get to Thailand; we couldn't get to freedom; our leaders left us. Now that we are in America, we still feel like we've been abandoned," he said.... 
While serving in special guerrilla units during the Vietnam War, between 10,000 and 20,000 Hmong men, women and children were killed, and more than 100,000 fled to Thai refugee camps. There are 27,000 Hmong in Minnesota, and an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 of them fought in the CIA's special forces.... 
Vietnam veteran Bob Anderson is deeply involved with the local Hmong population and often travels to Laos.... "The Hmong who fought in (General) Vang Pao's army understood they were fighting for the Americans and that they were in some sense an American army. They often mention the promise that was made. It's not clear who made it and when, but some promise was made that if the war went badly, the Hmong would be taken care of," Anderson said. "The Hmong were used." 
	For many years, the Hmong people fought at our request with incredible bravery and tenacity, greatly slowing the advance of the North Vietnamese into Laos and South Vietnam. Their fighter pilots, some of the most dazzling aces ever, fought until they died in a desperate war with inadequate support. They sacrificed thousands of their lives in deadly missions that ultimately saved thousands of American lives. The U.S. got them into war against our enemies, trained, them, urged them to fight, depended on their bravery, then broke our promises to them as we pulled out without doing anything to protect them against the terrible revenge that was promised and has been delivered. 
	As overwhelming evidence came in of the chemical and biological warfare that was used against the Hmong, our State Department ignored the situation and for years refused to even list Laos in reports monitoring human rights problems of other nations. The press and the State Department ignored the victims, their chemical wounds, their chemical samples and the chemical analyses of deadly man-made toxins and biological agents, pointing instead to ludicrous theories of bee pollen as explanations for the "yellow rain" that was killing thousands. (The red and blue toxins that killed just as effectively were rarely even mentioned.) 
	After all that the Hmong people went through fighting in Laos and risking their lives to escape, they ended up in abysmal conditions in the refugee camps of Thailand, void of all rights. As it became clear that the U.S. was unconcerned about the Hmong, camps became virtually closed to outsiders and the Hmong were subjected to gross forms of abuse by Thai guards. Some have managed to come to the United States, seeking not a free ride, but life.
	After all the human rights abuses the Hmong have escaped in Laos, I am outraged to learn of FORCED REPATRIATION from the Thai refugee camps back to Laos - an atrocity that was funded by the United States beginning in 1991. Several million tax dollars are being used to finance the forced return of a people targeted for extermination as we try to build "friendship" with the tyrants of Laos and Vietnam. 
When I read of this in Tragic Mountains, it was too much to believe until I spoke with Hmong families in Appleton, Wisconsin (and more recently in Green Bay) and learned that forced repatriation still continues, as is the campaign of torture and terror against the Hmong by the Laotian government. One man told of relatives who were forced back to Laos just a few months ago. The suffering of the Hmong continues, but no one listens to them. The tragic suffering of the Hmong is ultimately our responsibility, for we got them into war against our enemies, trained, them, urged them to fight, then broke our promises to them as we pulled out without doing anything to protect them against the terrible revenge that has been sought
	I urge readers of this paper to write or phone their representatives and insist that we stop providing aid to Laos and immediately reverse our support of forced repatriation of the Hmong people. I suggest that we cut off all aid and funding to the governments of Laos and Vietnam and work to restore the human rights of a people that has bled much for us. 
	In Wisconsin, there is still significant prejudice against the Hmong people, though many people are reaching out to them. I feel that Senator Herb Kohl has been helpful and concerned about the Hmong, and has publicly praised them for their heroic support of the U.S. in the Vietnam War. Sadly, many Vietnam vets have no idea that the Hmong were fighting for us. They saw no Hmong in Vietnam and heard no stories of Hmong assistance, for the Hmong were fighting a secret war in Laos that was not revealed until well after the war ended. It pains me to see a few (a minority, I believe) Vietnam vets angry at the Hmong now, suspicious of their reasons for being here. Hmong casualties in the war were even greater than U.S. casualties. They fought and died for us. Sure, they have many problems now, and some may just be here for economic reasons. But almost all would rather have stayed in Laos if only they could have been free from tyranny and even genocide. I hope we can remember why they are here

The Hmong in Asia
	The Hmong in Asia are scattered over several countries: Laos, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their heritage of independence make them a thorn in the side to dictators, especially to the Communist bosses of China and Laos. They remain a persecuted minority facing grave dangers. Anthony C. LoBaido, a correspondent for WorldNetDaily who spends a great deal of time in southern Asia to gain first-hand knowledge of events there, writes that: 
"The Hmong, like the Karen of Burma, are the victims of a brutal genocide directed by China. These hill tribes and others, want autonomy and stand in the way of the grand design of the Greater Mekong Subregion Development Plan."
	China's military build-up threatens all of Asia. In my opinion, it is vital that the people of the United States recognize that aid, credit, business, and recognition to Red China only serves to keep that brutal dictatorship in power and make them ever more of a threat to other nations, including our own, which faces the specter of long-range nuclear missiles that have been made possible by the transfer of military technology to Red China with Clinton's strident approval.

The Rising Generation of Hmong
	I am continually impressed with the goodness and excellence I find among many of the rising generation of Hmong. Rising is the word: they are rising from poverty, rising from the oppression of misunderstanding and even racism, rising from the stigma of welfare, rising from illiteracy, and becoming sources of hope for our future. Many are already contributing greatly to our society and communities. 
Listen to the words of one of these impressive Hmong-Americans who sent me this e-mail in May of 2001: 
My name is Schwa Yang. I'm a first Hmong generation to America. I came to Omaha, Nebraska in July 1979 at the age of 12. I am now living in Fresno, California, the second largest Hmong city in the United States. 
	I just want to let you know that I was very impressed by the reports you have compiled on your webpage about the Hmong people in the United States and else where. I was also very impressed by the American citizens who supported our roles in the Vietnam War and spoke highly about us. It made me feel good to know that there are still some good decent people out there who understand and appreciate the life of others. I'm grateful for your effort in trying to help clear the negative perceptions about the Hmong people through your website. I hope others will see us the same way you do. 
	It is unfortunate that many Americans still refuse to understand us, the Hmong, and the struggles we endured. They must realize that we didn't come to America for economic reasons. We came to America because we had only two choices — go to a third-world country or go back to Laos and possibly face persecution. Which would you choose, especially when you had just fought with the Communists for the last ten years? 
	Many Americans thought we knew where we were heading for when we chose to come to America. In fact, we didn't know what America was. All we ever heard was America had giant hairy demons that ate people, which was the reason why many Hmong refused to leave their refugee camps in Thailand, so they wouldn't be fed to the hairy demons. 
	I don't want to go through explaining why the Hmong people relied on welfare as soon as we arrived in United States. I mean as soon as in "the very next day". Just imagine yourself in a country which you knew nothing about nor spoke its language, and you had just crossed the twilight zone into a 20th-century society from a 17th-century culture, and you had 9 children plus you and your spouse. What would you do? 
	1975 marked the first time in American history any Hmong family was ever brought to America. We began life here with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We were fed through churches and other organizations that sponsored us when we arrived. The first dollar sign we ever saw was the welfare check and the food stamps we received from the welfare department "the very next day". We scrubbed floors, toilets and washed dishes to get additional money to pay for our rent and buy food for our families. We planted vegetable in our backyard to reduce the cost of buying food from the supermarket. 
	Today, we are not that same Hmong family anymore, and many of us don’t rely on welfare for our prosperity. Within the last 20 years, the number of Hmong professionals has grown from zero to the hundreds. We now have more than 200 doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and other professionals. In addition, the number of successful business entrepreneurs is increasing. We now have hundreds enrolling in colleges and thousands more graduating from high schools. Every year, that number seems to multiply. 
For those that have very little faith in the Hmong, and think that we are here to suck on their tax dollars, I want to promise you that someday soon, within the next 25 years, the Hmong people will rise to the top and will be able to contribute to the American society equally, leaving poverty and welfare behind. Remaining on welfare is not our intention. It is only our temporarily necessity. We will prosper like many immigrants that came to this country, no doubt! 

Headline: Hmong Children Excel in the Classroom
	Many Americans with Hmong neighbors seem to have the stereotype that Hmong kids aren't able to compete with their Anglo counterparts in school. While I personally know quite a few Hmong youth who are excellent students, even I had assumed that they must be the exceptions and supposed that most Hmong children probably did poorly in school. It's a natural assumption to make, for Hmong children seem to face some serious disadvantages: English may be a second language to them and it may not be spoken at home; many Hmong parents do not read and may not be able to help with homework; in many homes there are risk factors and stress due to poverty; and academic pursuits are not a traditional part of the originally agrarian Hmong lifestyle. 
	Interestingly, my previous assumptions do not stand up in light of actual data, based on a recent study of Hmong children in Wisconsin. Here is a portion of a front page article in the Post-Crescent on Dec. 30, 1997: 
Hmong Excel in Classroom
Hmong students in six Wisconsin public school districts, including Appleton, performed above the national norms on standardized tests and have a graduation rate surpassing that for white and other non-Asian students, a new study released today shows. 
-The positive trends come despite a prevalence of risk factors and a lingering, erroneous stereotype of Hmong students as educational underachievers, said researcher Ray Hutchison of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

-"It is likely that Hmong youth will be more successful in their education careers than any other immigrant or refugee group ever to come to the United States," he said.

-Fox valley educators say the study confirmed what they are seeing in the classroom....

-Hutchison's study, done for Wisconsin's Policy Research Institute, analyzed the educational performance of Asian students in grades three, four, eight and ten in public schools in Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Sheboygan, and Wausau....

-The study found that 68% of the Asian students in the 10th grade in the six schools scored above the national average in math.

-In four of the six schools, third graders performed at reading levels comparable to or above those of other students, said Hutchison.

-Asian students have a statewide graduation rate of 95%, and those who continue on to post-secondary education in the University of Wisconsin system have a higher retention rate than other groups.

-In the Hmong community, "everybody realizes the possible economic gains from education," said Appleton Alderman Bon Xiong, a graduate of Brandeis University and the first Hmong to hold public office in the Fox Valley.

-Six of his seven adult siblings are either in college or already have earned advanced degrees....

	Hutchison noted that Hmong parents, in spite of limited education, strongly support the education of their children. 
I'm thrilled to see these results - and am glad to realize that all the bright Hmong youth I know are not just rare exceptions. Another stereotype bites the dust!

Update from 2002: Wisconsin's First Hmong Principal Kaying Xiong-Vue, a 28-year-old female, has become the first Hmong principal in Wisconsin. A graduate of UW-Eau Claire, Kaying is the new principal for Locust Lane Elementary School in Eau Claire. Congratulations!

Defending the Hmong:
Comments from a Veteran of Viet Nam
	An Internet friend of mine, Jack Austin Smith, wrote an insightful letter to the editor in response to a negative letter about the Hmong people by a Ms. R. (full name withheld) printed in the Appeal Democrat of Yuba/Marysville California on Tues. July 2, 1996. The negative letter below by Ms. R. expresses a common misunderstanding: 
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH 
[W]e don't need any more Hmongs here. Have you noticed the new cars and vans they drive? It is our tax dollars buying them. How many of the widows of the Americans killed in action get their medical bills paid and are they driving new cars? Do they get their medical bills paid or do they have to work to pay them? 
My son-in-law and a nephew went to Vietnam and fought for our country. They saw their buddies killed in action and others crippled in World War II. He doesn't get a big check or food stamps. We don't owe a dime to any of these people that our boys fought and died to save. Enough is enough... think of our people first. 
- Ms. R. 
ENOUGH of WHAT? 
Jack Austin Smith's response is quoted below with permission: 
You're are right, Ms. R., enough is enough. I am a retired Chief Master Sergeant with 27 years of faithful duty to my country. I was a professional. I entered the service on my 17th birthday and have fought in every American war or police action that we were involved in since. I have been decorated and wounded while defending your rights to complain. I have never felt it wasn't worthwhile, until this narrow-minded racial hate was started locally.... 
The war in Vietnam was fought on several fronts and I served in two them. The main American battle ground was in the Southern end of South Vietnam. In order for the North Vietnamese forces to fight us there, it was necessary for their supplies and troops to go through Laos and Cambodia on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and Laos was controlled by a Pro-Communist Government at that time. Therefore America was not allowed to have any forces on the ground, although we were allowed to bomb and attack North Vietnamese troops with our aerial forces. About 99% of the combat forces on the ground were Hmong irregulars who were persuaded by Americans to forget about being neutral, and to fight the N. Vietnamese regulars (not relatively poorly trained Viet Cong guerrilla forces). We supplied air cover, but every combat trooper knows aircraft can't take and hold ground. We depended on the Hmongs to do this. Without modern arms, without medical help. 
After the fall of Saigon we pulled out of Southeast Asia and left the Hmongs to continue the fight without air support. When we left, the Hmong had to fight both the Laotians and the N. Vietnamese. They could not fight tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft with rifles. A great many Hmongs were slaughtered in their villages. Many were slaughtered at airfields where they waited for evacuation planes that never came. A few were able to fight every foot of the way across Laos and cross the Mekong River into refugee camps in Thailand where they were further mistreated by rather corrupt UN and Thai officials. Out of a estimated 3,000,000 prewar Hmong population less than 200,000 made it to safety. One other ill informed or stupid writer said "they were all gone" meaning, I guess, that the combat Hmongs were all dead, they are wrong. Most of the survivors are in Australia, France and here among us. 
Now I don't know about those heroes who have never heard a shot fired in anger, but I am embarrassed that my country so mislead these people. The Hmongs gave up literally everything for us: their country, their homes, their peaceful way of life, most of their families, everything that we would cherish. We promised them our continued support and then we bugged out. 
Ms. R., you mentioned having relatives who fought in Vietnam and I hope they all survived. However their chances would have been much less if the Hmongs hadn't intercepted over 50% of the N. Vietnamese troops and supplies. If you truly loved your relatives, you should be grateful for the Hmongs' sacrifices. 
Another point you complain about: new cars etc. Look again. Most of the cars are older models, but they do keep them up so well that they do look like new. I believe that is called pride. The Hmong boys in auto mechanics are teaching the others as fast as they can: fathers, uncles, cousins, to know about cars, too. 
Now about rights of citizens, the Hmongs are legal immigrants and they have the same rights as any one else here, whether Canadian, Mexican, German or... Sure there may be a few that abuse the system, but don't judge them all by the few. 
Germany has been our mortal enemy in two wars and their treatment of the Jews was so totally depraved that history will never, and should never, forgive them. Let's not be guilty of a similar mistake against any one minority group. 
We are all immigrants to this land and I, for one, have greater faith in Americans than you do. But I'm deeply disappointed that more Americans haven't spoken out against this racial injustice. We should never forget that Hitler got his start by encouraging the Germans to hate the Jews. Look at the hate mongers around us, the white supremacists, the church burnings, the bombings. This is the road that racial intolerance will lead us. Please, Americans, speak out against bigotry. Or by your apathy do you want to show the politicians that is the direction we want to go? 
Jack Austin Smith, July 1996 
About the Hmong language 
This page is in Hmong. If you're just curious to see what Hmong looks like, here's a useful phrase: "Nyob zoo," which means "hello" (literally: "living good"). Pronounce it as "Nioh zhung" where "zh" is a French "j" sound. A less common phrase is "Koj tus ntxhw xavtau noj dabtsi?" which means "What does your elephant want to eat?" (Literally, "Your [classifier] elephant wants eat what?") I pronounce it like "Goh doontsu sahdau noh dahchee." Hmong uses monysyllabic words, which often begin with a tough consonant sound like "ntxh" (pronounced like "nts" in "students"), followed by a vowel pronounced with one of at least seven tones. In writing, tones are indicated by the final letter in the word (b,g,m,s,v,d, or nothing). It's a fun language