Minnesota moves to recognize Secret War veterans

The Minnesota Senate has passed a landmark bill offering state recognition and benefits to Hmong and Lao veterans who fought alongside the U.S. during the Vietnam War’s covert “Secret War,” according to MPR News.

Beginning in the 1960s, the CIA recruited thousands of Hmong fighters to resist communist forces in Laos. Many later fled to the United States, with Minnesota now home to one of the largest Hmong American populations in the country. Under the proposed legislation, veterans would receive a “veteran” designation on their driver’s licenses and access to state veterans cemeteries, among other honors, though full federal veterans’ benefits would remain unavailable.

State Senator Susan Pha (DFL-Brooklyn Park), a co-author of the bill, emphasized the emotional weight of the measure: “Today, most of our veterans are in their 70s and 80s. They once stood shoulder to shoulder with American forces but still lack the recognition they deserve,” she said in an interview with MPR News.

As reported by CBS News Minnesota, a recent Senate committee hearing saw two dozen Hmong Special Guerrilla Unit veterans don their uniforms to advocate for the bill. “We fought alongside the United States because we believed in its mission to defend freedom,” said Pa Xang Vang, executive director of the Special Guerrilla Unit Veterans and Families of the USA.

Although bipartisan support exists, some lawmakers voiced concerns about expanding formal veteran status. A compromise currently under discussion would recognize the veterans’ service while limiting certain state benefits. The bill must still pass the Minnesota House and survive budget negotiations before becoming law.

If approved, the legislation would mark a long-awaited acknowledgment of the Hmong and Lao community’s sacrifices—50 years after the end of the Vietnam War.