A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Foot Soldier Nhiacha Vang barely survives Communist battle
Former Special Guerilla Unit First Lieutenant Nhiacha Vang relives a punishing hand-to-hand battle and the life-threatening injuries doled out by the Communist military. Decades later, the bullets and shrapnel lodged in Mr. Vang’s body continue to threaten his health.
This excerpt is from Twin Cities PBS's documentary Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret War.
Learn more at the bottom of the page.
I started to feel the blood clogging my throat, making it hard to breath.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: St. Paul, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Long Tieng 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Allied Forces
Unit: Special Guerrilla Unit
About Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret War
In the shadows of the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of communism from spreading deeper into Southeast Asia. Tens of thousands died, both in the fight and in the escape.
Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret War explores the untold, turbulent history.
Story Themes: America's Secret War, Close Call, Combat, Communist, Escape, Hmong, Laos, Long Cheng, Long Tieng, Mekong River, Nhiacha Vang, Opium, Pathet Lao, Phanat Nikhom Refugee Camp, Secret War, SGU, Special Guerilla Unit, Thailand, Wounded in Action
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