GreenEggsAndHammertime
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My dad (hmong) was a badass rebel soldier during the Vietnam War against communist assholes. Here he is either during/post Vietnam War, I'm not sure of the year. But he's definitely cooler than me.
Edit: Since people are asking for more context, here it is. Pic was also taken in 1986 after the war and during their flee to Thailand.
He married my mom before the war and lived in Laos, during the Vietnam War he fought alongside American troops and Hmong guerillas in a CIA operation known now as "The Secret War." Not only did he fight, but worked as a guide since many foreign fighters did not know the way through the jungles.
After the war, many Hmong people were being targeted by Lao troops and killed for helping the American/Democratic side. My dad joined a rouge rebel group after the war to help protect many people against Lao and communist soldiers. He led my mom and 6 kids across the Lao/Thailand border to safety. Can confirm...is cooler than me.
NyQuilDaydream
Most dads are in the eyes of their kids, but in tbe eyes of the father, you are number one!
iwanPlays
The rifle might possibly be an M21, M40 OR Winchester Model 70.
WayfindingGuy
The Hmong people are left out of so much history education in the US, but to be honest, so are the GI's and political fuckery.
USvette1
I read the Green Beret's said that the hmong were some of the most loyal and bravest people they've ever worked with.
JoeyLock
"Democratic side" you mean the side that suppressed Buddhists, raided Buddhist temples and was a major dictatorship?
ingoz
Hmong still treated bad in Laos. But they are the hardest workers, very driven to succeed.
AsianHawk
Hmong & Mien were recruited by the CIA to help with recon, espionage, and guerrilla warfare. I'm Mien and my Uncle was like your father, OP.
TheGordonRamsay
This is actually pretty fucking badass.
BaronSteggles
The Hmong are pretty well known for their actions in this war
khazaria
I'm not sure there was a Democratic side...
Ribrianne
*cough* agent orange *cough* US messed up Vietnam for generations, but somehow its the good side in this.
JohnMagneTrane
The Gen Sec of NATO, Stoltenberg, bragged to Vietnamese ambassador that he supported the Viet Cong. Local Vietnamese protested...
STran526
My husband got citizenship in the US because his grandfather fought in the vietnam war. He needed heart surgery and was able to stay.
idrinkcheapbeer
Noob3rts
Fucked up movie: Tunnel Rats. Watch it if you want your mind blown.
MFDork
We've got a large Hmong community in Minnesota. Your people are fucking great! Hard workers, family oriented, awesome cooks!
The0dd0ne
In Wisconsin too!
areyoualive
He’s a Marlboro man
sowasvonsowas
♠ Respect! ♠ (Hmong were loyal allies, fierce fighters and good friends.) ♠ Respect! ♠
merryjumpingjane12
TooStronkkk
Dad? Ed
00Wired
WePutBirdsOnThings
Who Hmong us
locotico83
Can confirm...he is cooler than you
Numero34
Awesome, fuck Commies
photonerdo
The U.S. used the Hmong and broke every promise that they made to them. I would love to hear more about your family's story.
GenGeorgePatton
Story of the US government, it's words mean nothing.
HYDERKHAN
He looks a hero. God bless him.
Vagabondream
That rifle is inadequate
captainfuckingobvious
Single shot break barrel by the looks?
MonsieurToastt
That’s badass..
cosinewave
Unfortunately the assholes won. That is a great pic BTW.
anageingman
Used to think that too. Then I went to Vietnam. Not so sure now.
ZimGenzko
A war they didn’t want and didn’t start so who was the actual asshole back then.
ingoz
You mean the US lost and dropped millions of bombs on Laos? Pretty sure the US were the assholes.
BaronSteggles
It was never a battle the West should have involved itself in. The Vietnamese has already beaten the french and had a long history of war.
BulldozersAndDirt
Did they though? I mean, there’s a McDonalds in downtown Hanoi, so who reallly won?
cosinewave
The US withdrew and the communist regime took over the south. If anyone won, it was not the US.
GenGeorgePatton
Nobody really won. Lots dead.
Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
The reason I exist was because of the Vietnam war. Sometimes I forget that. Makes existence seem so random, yet purposeful.
woopwooppulloverdatasstoofat
maybe if it had not happened your same consciousness would have ended up somewhere else
Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
I think that sometimes... how could one unique mind be so random... or maybe it is?
SpecialAgentSkully
How profound @Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
It really is in my mind. My mother had to leave Cambodia when Vietnam was using Cambodian soil. She was taken to America by missionaries 1)
Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
and then fostered by my grandparents. When she was 16 she started working at Jack in the Box. My dad saw her and thought her ass was 2)
Myfartssmelllikeraspberries
banging and then he knocked her up and then I came along. True story.
SpecialAgentSkully
Very cool story, thanks for sharing. :) My folks met because my mother's car was shot. My dad was the veterinarian that saved her cat. (1)
ShaSheemasClaw
The Americans left and abandoned the Hmong people. The war didn’t end for them for a long time.
DeadassPazzyB
Fucked up, but the french kinda did the same thing to us
paulpounder
You have never been to Fresno Ca. A lot of my good friends were born here because their parents were not abandoned in LAOS/Vietnam.
shimmernshine
We relocated hundreds of thousands of them. When people say we 'lost' Vietnam, they mean THESE people lost Vietnam.
Cheomesh
The row of houses behind mine in my neighborhood were originally build for Hmong refugees.
shimmernshine
The US/Western forces left the region and went home. Many Hmong, Uighur, and other peoples were perma-displaced.
Locolarue
There are Uighurs as far south as Vietnam?
shimmernshine
Displaced, yes.
Locolarue
That's just confusing for me as I recall the Uighurs living north west of the Himalayas near Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
Feanor19
How did we not loose? If the goal was to prevent communists taking the south. We lost in every way, shape, and thing of the whole war
shimmernshine
The US soldiers didn't lose their homes.
Feanor19
Well yeah Vietnam wasn’t invading our homes so that wasn’t really a worry. You certainly can’t say it wasn’t a lose though
shimmernshine
That's what they sold the war on; "fight it there so we don't have to fight it here"
MV50
People forget about the Vietnamese soldiers fighting against the regime. It's unfortunate they get overshadowed by the Americans.
AGracefulCombover
Prob because the war was such an important social/political milestone here in the US.
Charizard006
With all respect, no Vietnamese soldier ever rode in a helicopter while “Fortunate Son” played in the background
lilblkcatx3
My dad fought with the Americans. He has a lots of stories but they bring back too many memories for him. He doesn’t like sharing them
UmamiMama
My dad was one of them. He has some great stories and my m had to fool the commies all the time
Smagalicious
STORYTIME!!!!!
GreenEggsAndHammertime
I remember one my dad told me, about his first injury. A grenade had gone off near him and a piece of shrapnel took off 2 of his toes.
MV50
I'd love to hear some stories if you are willing to share!
UmamiMama
I'll see what I can put together! So many stories!
Feanor19
When the US left did we do anything to help rebuild the country? Never really hear about post war after we fuck places up.
MV50
US lost the war so they weren't really in a position to rebuild. Relations have been slightly normalized in the last few decades
biblioteker
We signed a treaty to assist the South Vietnamese government but the Democrats in Congress killed the appropriations. Look it up.
WeekendMashSomeTatoes
Actually the American-backed southern Vietnamese government was more of a dictatorship than the northern Vietnamese group (ColdWar Interest)
biblioteker
Yeah, a Communist dictatorship is so much more non-violent. See Pol Pot for similar fantasies, mkay??
Biomeat
Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot are 2 very different people.
PerfidiousPete
Agreed, but the communist vietnamese werent exactly benevolent liberators. Between 2 and 6 thousand civilians executed in Hue during Tet Off
MV50
Fair assessment, though I never proposed otherwise. My statement was more that the south Vietnamese are overlooked in western history books
GenGeorgePatton
Yeah, most of the Viet Cong didn't care for communism but that's who was willing to back them in their fight for independence.
shimmernshine
People were specifically prevented from hearing about some of the Hmong that fought in Cambodia and China as well as Vietnam. Brass balls.
jfred325350
Really? How do?
shimmernshine
It was called a secret war. The US trained, supplied, and coordinated anti-communist forces in what was called indo-china during the 1960's.
BrianNLS
Much of the "secret war" was fought in neighboring countries where the US was officially not a combatant. Have worked with Hmong 1/2
BrianNLS
people... can confirm 100% badassery in the best way. Great folk. But don't cross them.
shimmernshine
It was considered part of the Vietnamese war effort but it was largely CIA/Special Forces.
klikklik1236
Are you American trying to figure out why Americans are more publicised in America?... No disrespect on the Vietnamese sacrifice.
MV50
I'm Canadian
klikklik1236
Just trying to figure out why a Canadian might here more about American vets than Vietnamese ones.
klikklik1236
Which country do you border? US or nam? Does the majority of your country share a common tongue with one of those countries?
HolyOldMackinaw
People never remember the Australians either
ThatsHowiLikeit
True it's sad ☹️
1234canIhavealittlemore
The australians were in vietnam? I honestly did not know that. Going to do some reading on it, thanks dude!
GenGeorgePatton
There were a tiny amount, less the 8,000 at any time.
AZGrowler
Or the Koreans that fought alongside us. My dad told me stories about how the VC would abandon areas when Korean units showed up.
LetMeGoogleThatShtForYou
so...were they....Treetop koreans?
Locolarue
Old guy at my work claimed to be in Vietnam. Said the Korean Marines were great soldiers.
GenGeorgePatton
The Koreas were super brutal. Maybe it was bad but it worked, Korean areas were much safer.
Thecynicalspud
We remember. Battle of Long Tan is national history for us.
AilingHen69
Please elaborate.
Thecynicalspud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Tan TL;DR 1ATF (108 personnel) lost 18 with 24 wounded. Viet cong lost around 245.
AilingHen69
Thank you!
NotACop1515IsMyAgeNotACop
Oh I am remember. Iirc living lives trying to hag on to the bottom of the globe gave them immense experience walking upside down. They were1
NotACop1515IsMyAgeNotACop
Especially effective in hand to hand combat, as by walking on their hands, they could deliver every punch as a kick. The nazi, surprised & 2
NotACop1515IsMyAgeNotACop
Frightened, would be quickly be disarmed by a round house punch to the skull. Truly heros of the war. 3
SingingandDancingInTheRain