ABSTRACT
Background and History The word Hmong1 literally means being free and can be used as a singular or plural. Throughout history, despite geographic location, Hmong people have struggled to maintain their unique culture with a commitment to remain free despite pressure from dominant cultures. The Hmong are an ethnic minority from Southeast Asia. Documentation shows the Hmong living in China since ancient times. During the 19th century, they migrated in large numbers to Laos, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong living in Laos were widely recruited to the American effort by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The alliances of the Hmong were divided during the Secret CIA War. Some followed the communist Pathet Lao under the Hmong leadership of Lo Faydang. Others joined the anticommunists under Hmong general Vang Pao and moved to Long Cheng, the secret CIA base. Those who served the U.S. cause monitored the Ho Chi Ming Trail (the route used by the North Vietnamese soldiers to transport ammunition to invade South Vietnam), gathered intelligence information for the CIA, and rescued U.S. air pilots whose aircraft had been shot down. As many as 20,000 Hmong were killed while serving the United States and they died at a rate 10 times that of the
U.S. soldiers. This had a devastating impact on the Hmong family and clan structure (Hamilton-Merritt, 1993; Quincy, 1995).
