Hmongstory Legacy

09/25/2025

Dr. Joseph Westermeyer served as a physician and psychiatrist in Laos from 1965 to 1967.

During that time, he worked extensively with various ethnic groups, including the Hmong, and became a leading expert on public health, addiction, and mental health in the region. He famously established a drug treatment center and his research from this period formed the basis of his influential book, "Poppies, Pipes, and People: O***m and Its Use in Laos."

His work in Laos was foundational for his later career in the United States as a renowned authority on refugee mental health, particularly among the Hmong communities that resettled in Minnesota, California, and other states.

05/27/2025

Beyond the headlines of the Vietnam War lay a secret conflict in the shadows of Laos. Meet Tallman, a Hmong hero whose voice guided American A-26 Ni**od navigators through treacherous skies, risking everything from his mountain outpost. One airman, Major Frank Hayes, never forgot the night Tallman directed a strike with chilling precision, or the ultimate sacrifice it implied. This is a story of unimaginable courage, a mysterious death, and an alliance forged in the crucible of war. Discover "The Ghost of Phou Pha Lang: An A-26 Navigator's Unforgettable Encounter with Tallman, the Hmong Hero of Laos"

READ HERE:

Hmongstory Legacy is where all of our history, heritage, identity, and stories can be brought together and preserved forever.

05/17/2025

Growing up in Wisconsin, like a lot of Hmong families, we worked the fields to make ends meet. Summers meant picking cucumbers, chopping to***co, husking corn—and pulling weeds in rows of ginseng for hours under the sun. Reading Ginseng Roots brought all of that back. The smell of the soil. The sting of the heat. The quiet way we all just kept going. This book hit close. It’s not just about ginseng—it’s about where we come from, and what it took to survive.

Craig Thompson tells his story with honesty and care. He worked the same ginseng fields with his brother, earning a dollar an hour, just like many of us did. But what makes this book different is how he doesn’t stop at his own story. He looks deeper—into the history of ginseng, its ties to ancient China, and how Hmong families, fresh from war and resettlement, became the backbone of this billion-dollar industry. He even follows one Hmong family’s journey from Laos to Wisconsin, showing how ginseng became more than a crop—it became a way forward.

The art is beautiful. The writing is sharp. And the truth it tells is real. Ginseng Roots doesn’t just tell a story—it gives space to the people behind it. If you grew up in the fields, or if your parents did, you’ll feel this one in your bones.

Purchase your copy today: https://a.co/d/6b4SlQb

05/05/2025

To our beloved Hmong veterans,

You did not ask for glory. You did not seek reward. Yet in the silence of the hills and the roar of war, you stood your ground—for a people without a country, for a future you would never fully see.

Because of you, we live.
We walk safely in a land you never called home but made home for us through sacrifice.
You gave up your youth so we could grow old in peace.
You faced the darkness so we could live in light.

We will not forget.

We will speak your names into the winds of history.
We will carry your stories across generations.
Not in anger, not in sorrow, but in reverence.
So the world will remember who you were and what you gave.
Honor, not just in battle, but in love, loyalty, and quiet courage.

You are the roots beneath our lives.
And from your sacrifice, we rise.

YT Link: https://youtu.be/OlhpDdGPXkU?si=ekojQw-EvYpdnJwE

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This video was made possible by the support of:

CEO/President Pao Yang - The Fresno Center

President Cherchai Vang - Lao Veterans of America, Inc.

President Boua Cher Vang - SGU Veterans and Families of California

Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua - City of Clovis

Councilmember Brandon Vang - City of Fresno - 5th District

Superintendent Misty Her - Fresno Unified School District

President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval - CSU Fresno

Interim Vice President Phong Yang - CSU Fresno / Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Associate Professor Dr. Tony Vang - CSU Fresno

04/27/2025

"The Hush Before the Dawn"

They gave you drops to hush your cries,
while danger darkened Laos' skies.
A bitter sip, too sharp, too deep,
a love too fragile still to keep.

The first was not enough, they said
"More, or we leave them with the dead."
The shouting rose, the mercy thinned,
fear forced the trembling hands again.

Too much, too soon, the breath grew small,
too still to wake, too faint to call.
The jungle pressed, the river sighed,
the trail moved on, and you had died.

No cradle rocked you into sleep,
no songs were sung, no time to weep.
Only the earth, the roots, the tree,
became your last and only plea.

They wrapped you tight against the cold,
a blanket worn, a love untold.
They placed you where the roots could hide,
and hurried on, no time to cry.

The Mekong roared its broken song,
it pulled the living and the strong.
The guns, the thieves, the shattered cries,
the sky was heavy with goodbyes.

Wrapped in cloth beneath the sky,
too many little ones would lie.
No markers carved, no stories stayed,
the jungle closed, the rivers prayed.

If you had stayed, who would you be?
A voice beside the wind and me?
A hand to lift, a dream to share,
a name still spoken in the air?

A brother, sister, star, or rain,
a life unfinished in its pain.
A shadow dancing through the rain,
a spirit singing through the pain.

I pray the roots have held you near,
I pray you've passed beyond the fear.
Forgive the fear, forgive the flight,
forgive the sorrow born of night.

You are not lost. You are not gone.
You are the hush before the dawn.

04/23/2025

Join us on May 1st from 5PM to 7PM at the Fresno State Main Library’s Ellipse Gallery for an early glimpse of the Southeast Asian 50 Years Legacy Exhibit, a tribute to shared journeys, strength, and belonging.

This powerful exhibit honors the intertwined histories of the Hmong and Lao communities pre 1975 and beyond. Through immersive storytelling, cultural artifacts, and multimedia displays, it celebrates not just where we come from, but how far we’ve come together. It’s a reflection of resilience, heritage, and the unspoken bonds formed through time, memory, and hope.

The full exhibit opens May 26 and runs through September 30, 2025. Space for the May 1 preview is limited. RSVP today here:

bit.ly/SEA1975EXHIBIT

The exhibit will also be open during Hmong Day 2025 on May 3 and 4. Stop by and experience it for yourself.

04/21/2025

"Taller Than Their Courage"

We were the ones who met the flame,
Before the world could speak our name.
No civil strife, no inner war
They crossed our peaks to seize the floor.

Our fathers fell on jungle stone,
Their rifles cold, their spirits flown.
And so we came—still thin, still bare,
With smoke-filled lungs and matted hair.

Some couldn’t stand as tall as steel
The U.S. guns we learned to feel.
Too long, too loud, too hard to hold,
But in our hands, they turned to bold.

Few were forced—don’t twist the tale.
We knew the cost if we should fail.
To keep the land, to shield the name,
Even the young stepped into flame.

We marched through mist with silent tread,
We slept in leaves, we buried dead.
Too young for war by any law,
But still we came, and none withdrew.

No stripes, no salutes, no grand parade
Just courage carved by hand and blade.
We fought not for the world to see,
But for our right to simply be.

So speak no pity, cast no shade,
This wasn’t debt that we repaid.
It was our war, it was our fight,
And we stood first against the night.

Remember now, while some remain,
Before we vanish like the rain.
The child soldiers, brave and true
Who held the line
When no one knew.

Photos from the Jate Jettiang/Tua Vang Collection

04/19/2025

They Fought and Died for America—Now They’re Being Called Mercenaries?

During the Vietnam War, the CIA trained and commanded tens of thousands of Hmong fighters in Laos. They rescued downed U.S. pilots. They fought America’s battles. They died by the thousands. All in secret.

Now, Minnesota State Senator Andrew Lang is calling them *mercenaries*—claiming they don’t deserve to be recognized as veterans because they never wore a U.S. uniform.

This isn’t just wrong. It’s a betrayal.

The Hmong were America’s silent soldiers—loyal allies abandoned after the war. They didn’t fight for money. They fought for their country, their people, their loved ones. They fought because the United States asked them to.

History has honored Filipino WWII soldiers, Korean KATUSA troops, and others who wore different uniforms but served under U.S. command. Why are the Hmong being denied the same respect?

Recognition is not charity. It’s justice. And time is running out.

👉 Read why Senator Lang’s comments dishonor the truth—and why we must stand with Hmong veterans before it’s too late.

📖 https://www.hmongstorylegacy.com/americas-forgotten-warriors-why-the-hmong-deserve-to-be-recognized-as-u-s-veterans

Hmongstory Legacy is where all of our history, heritage, identity, and stories can be brought together and preserved forever.

04/01/2025

Where did all the Hmong refugees resettle to after 1975? Here's some numbers.

#1975

03/31/2025

Ban Khoua Lek (Ban Xon/Nasou), named after the iron bridge across the river Na Mouay, was a roadside village NE of Ban Xon/Nasou where many internally displaced people of the war came to reside after the fall of Sam Thong in March of 1970. Operations in Sam Thong, such as the hospital, were relocated to Ban Xon; on the other side of the mountain from Ban Khoua Lek. The location was notorious for malaria due to the warmer climate and the Hmong people's susceptibility to it.

View the rest of the collection here: https://omeka.library.fresnostate.edu/s/galen-beery/item

01/07/2025

If not now, when? 2025 is upon us. This year marks the 50th year of the Hmong being in the United States. Many of you have asked us what we are up to. I can say with certainty that we've been neck deep in work. We will be showcasing unimaginable things. Until then, here's a collection we are excited to show you all. This is the Jate Jettiang Collection, comprising of thousands of never before seen images.

We say with confidence this is the Holy Grail collection of Secret War photos; there's nothing else like it in the world and we can't wait to show you.

Here's a montage of photos from the collection with the late General Vang Pao sending you all a message of love and unity. Today marks the anniversary of his departure from this Earth, but not our hearts. May he rest in peace!

Enjoy!

- Dave

12/15/2024

Hmo no ntsib nej tom tsev kawm ntawv fresno state
Zoo siab hmoob tuaj nyob tau 50 xyoo rau meskas no lawm 😍