A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Lima Site 85, the Hmong, and the CIA
CIA operatives like Jerry Daniels worked hand in glove with General Vang Pao and the Hmong to conduct the Secret War in Laos. Hmong men and boys were recruited as soldiers for Special Guerrilla Units (SGU)—unofficial surrogates of the US armed forces. Many SGUs lost their lives defending US interests in Laos. The US radar facility Lima Site 85, also known as Phou Pha Thi, was one such loss.
This excerpt is from Twin Cities PBS's documentary Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America's Secret War.
Learn more at the bottom of the page.
We Hmong people didn't know why we were in this war.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: St. Paul, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Long Tieng, Laos 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Allied Forces
Unit: Special Guerrilla Unit
This story is part of Women in the War.
Explore the collection.
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: Air America, America's Secret War, Choua Thao, CIA, General Vang Pao, Hmong, Lima Site 85, Long Cheng, Long Tieng, Saint Paul, Secret War, St Paul, TPT, Twin Cities PBS, Watch, Xai Nou Vang
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