Hmong who are from the mountainous region of Laos fought the CIA’s secret war in that country. The number of Hmong veterans believed to have died number in the tens of thousands.
Yet they are not entitled to be buried in US national cemeteries.
On Wednesday, Hmong veterans marched to Capitol Hill to change that, reports the Fresno Bee. They won the support of Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for a bill that would allow Hmong veterans who have become naturalized American citizens to be buried at VA national cemeteries.
“I am proud to support this bipartisan bill, which would honor the service and sacrifice of Hmong veterans who bravely risked their lives fighting alongside the U.S. during the Vietnam War,” Boxer said.
“We learned good news,” Erik Xiong of the Lao Veterans of America Institute said. “I hope we will be successful after the election.”