Many died trying to cross the Mekong River when escaping from Laos to Thailand. (Photo: Bruno Ideriha)
Most Hmong refugees who come to the U.S. have had traumatizing experiences: first escaping the war, then struggling with cultural differences, language barriers and the everyday stress of trying achieving the American dream in this country. Consequently, many Hmong suffer from depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
During the Central Intelligence Agency’s “Secret War” in Laos, when a secret guerilla army of some 30,000 Hmong were recruited to fight against the North Vietnamese, my father, Chue Zang Her, and my three older brothers were killed. As a young male teenager, I had to be responsible for everything as the head of the household. After the CIA withdrew in 1975, we had to join the resistance group in attempt to evade capture of our family, including my elderly mother, Nou Thao, who was blind for as long as I can remember.
Communist soldiers came to our villages at night with the firing sound of guns and grenades. We fled to the jungle and lived in huts made from bamboo, covered with banana leaves or hay thatches, and only lit fires for cooking at night so we wouldn't be detected. We would grow our crops in the jungle in hiding, but many times it would be discovered and set on fire by the soldiers. So we ate whatever was available: bamboo shoots, fruits and leaves from the jungle. Many children and elderly died of starvation. You did not know how long you were going to live. We lived in fear.
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