A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Special Guerrilla Units
Hmong soldiers were trained in guerrilla tactics by American and Thai specialists.They were called "Special Guerrilla Units," or SGUs. In the later years of the war they were often child soldiers. With mere days of training, the SGUs would be sent into battle against the Communist People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Battles were fierce and brutal injuries were common.
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 learned the basic training for three days and then went to war.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: St. Paul, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Long Tieng, Laos 
Story Subject: Military Service
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, Basic Training, CIA, Combat, General Vang Pao, Long Cheng, Long Tieng, Saint Paul, Secret War, Special Guerilla Unit, St Paul, Weaponry
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