Laos Secret War Essay Example

were training and supplying Hmong fighter to fight against the North Vietnamese. Despite losing the Vietnam War; American took the fight to Laos to stop the NVA. At the Front lines were the Hmong people of the assault in Laos.

The Hmong people are people who like to be free, so when the Vietnamese army came. They join the American to fight against the Vietnamese to stop their quest for hegemony. The Hmong people has a culture that is 4,000 years old, they treasure the concepts of honor, commitment, and loyalty. But the thing that stands the most to the Hmong people is being Free and having Freedom. Since the American were afraid that Laos could be another Vietnam. They didn’t want to send in its own troops. So they sent C. I. A recruiter to Northern Laos to recruiter fighter to fight against the communist in the area and to keep them out of Laos.

And prevent Laos from fall to communist hands. The role of the Hmong fighter was recuing down pilot, from the bombing campaign in Laos. To fighting and defending airfields, like Long Change and other airfield that were vital to the Americans. They were train to used guerrillas tactics to fight against the North Vietnamese Force. But the Hmong wasn’t just fight the Vietnamese; they were also fight the Communist party of Laos, the Pathet Lao forces. But the main enemies to the Hmong were the North Vietnamese army. The Hmong were strong and fearless fighter; they were the back-bone in the fight for Laos.

Many soldiers would run when they get scare of the North Vietnamese

Force but the Hmong people would stay and fight till the end. But the Hmong wasn’t just fighter on the ground; some of them were fighter pilot in Laos; along with Laotian pilot. They were train to drop bombs on the supply route of the Communist Forces. The Hmong people fought the North Vietnamese with everything they had, but even though they were fight they were also losing grounds in the war for Laos. They fought because they want to be kept free and they’re dislike of Communism.They weren’t afraid of anything, as long as they knew that the American government was supplying them with weapon and food.

Part C: Evaluation of Sources This investigation relies heavy on documentary that was made about the secret war in Laos. These documentaries tell the story of not what was going on in Laos but the people who were fighting in Laos as well. They purpose of these documentaries is to tell the people of future generation about thing that happen in the pass, told again by people who live through these event. To inform people about thing that was happening in the past or even in current situation that is happening.

The documentaries are the most reliable sources in this investigation of all because most of the documentaries are done during the time of the secret war in Laos. So it can be trusted to be very accurate. But a documentary was not the only source used here, also web-site and book. The book Tragic Mountain gave a lot of insight into the Hmong people and the type of people they were. Not just only

that but it told the story of what happen to the Hmong after the Americans left Laos. It gave some insight on why the Hmong wanted to fight. The website weren’t that much reliable, mostly the ones that talk about the Hmong.

These website were made by historian or expert themselves. Some were made by expert on the topic and some were made by people, who knew a very little on the subject. So the limitations on these web-sites aren’t that good and wouldn’t consider a credible source. But it does give some insight in to what happen in Laos and the Hmong people. Part D: Analysis The Laos Secret War was along so known for as the Battle for Asia. The reason was that for Communist to spread in Indochina and Lao play a very important role. Whoever gains control of Laos gain control to Indochina.

The Communist needs Laos to launch their attack in Thailand but in it way is the country of Laos. The fighting in Laos was for the gateway to countries in Indochina. That if Vietnam was to fall to the communist party in the Vietnam War, the domino effect would have taken place in Indochina. Lao just happen to be place in the center of the cold war. Laos in 1960s and 1970s had some of the world big power, like the Soviet, Chinese, and American pursuing their interest in the countries and it government. But when the war was taken to Laos, American couldn’t send in its own forces, because of what happen in Vietnam.

The United States fears that it would take the life

of many Americans life; but along with that the Americans could not let Laos fall to the communist. It would put other countries like Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries at risk of fallen to the Communist. This led the American C. I. A to recruit fighter to fight against the invading force in Lao to boot them out of Lao. So they look to the Hmong people for help and help they receive. They Hmong also dislike the communist force in Lao, they were willing to fight against them without receiving payment from the United States government.

All they needed were weapons and ammunition, along with food. This was when the Hmong people can into play. They were strong, committed people; who knew the concept of being loyal and committed. They Hmong happen to be the liable fighter for the C. I. A because they were willing to defend American outpost till it couldn’t be defend any more. Even though the C. I. A had fighter to fight in a war, it didn’t had a large army. Given that they Hmong were tribal people compare to a nation who has the resources and the man power to fighter for a long time.

The Hmong people didn’t have any of these, and don’t forget that these fighter had to be train. That they never fought in a modern day war, till now. Even with lack of experience; the Hmong people were able to hold out at American outpost like Long Chang. They Hmong were force to commit everything into this war; the reason for this was that their home was in the mountain.

So when a mountain is taken by the communist, the Hmong civilian have to leave or stay and be killing by the communist. So the Hmong could only stay in mountain that was occupied by the government or under government control.

This mean Hmong was standing to lose everything if they were to lose the war to the Communist. Even knowing this the Hmong people were strongly committed to the cause of not letting the communist gain control of Lao. Part E: Conclusion Lao was an important country to the Americans in the effort to contain the communist at the border of Vietnam and stopping the domino effect to take play. Since the Americans couldn’t send in troops to defend and kick out the communist force that was invading Lao. So they seek they to recruit the Hmong in the mountainous part of Lao to fight against the communist forces.

The Hmong duties were to defend Lao from communist force from American held outpost. The Hmong were every committed people into the fight for Lao because they had committed everything into fight the communist force. They had committed their family and their home to fighting against the communist. So if they were to lose they would lose everything and be kill or jail by the communist forces. Overall the Hmong were strong fighter the American had in Lao; the Hmong was very committed to the American cause of not let Lao fall to the Communist.