Last Monday night we had a panel of two guest speakers talk to us. They were Mr. Yang Long and Ms. Choua Thao. Mr Long was a soldier in Laos who was an officer and fought with the Hmong warriors. He told us what he saw and what he witnessed in Laos. Some of the stories were unbelievable from my perspective. I could never imagine fighting in the jungle just a few miles away from my family. Then, having to worry about who to trust and who not to trust did not help up the situation. He told us how he got to America and then earned his degree here and worked hard to make the money and be in the position he is today. Ms Thao was a different story entirely. She is a very strong person and survived because of her strong will and perseverance. She talked about how she was a nurse in Laos and took care of the people when they were injured or sick. She keep the soldiers off the nurses so they could do their job in the hospital she worked in. Her journey to America was slightly different than Mr. Long. She came here were lots of experience and got her degree. She fought for everything she ever got. She isn't someone who takes crap from anyone. It is her way or the highway and she usually comes out on top. She told us that we have to have a dream to live for, and advocate for ourselves and others underneath us because no one else will.
Many of the history they told us about the war in Laos was exactly as Dr. Hillmer had described to us. It was much more powerful to hear it from two people who had actually lived the event. They have a totally different outlook on the war and life in general than when we visited the Hmong center. They shared with us information that we will not hear anywhere else. A unique experience that only they can retell with their own voice, that if it came from anyone else it would lose its sincerity and truth. On the other end of the spectrum we have not had anything in our class time quite like this. These were the actual people who lived through the war that no one knew about till it was too late. They tear at your heart and beg you to listen and inhale all that they were saying. We were hearing history that was not in any books and was the complete and God-honest truth.
It was an experience to never forget. There was so much talked about an event that not much is known about. There are no history courses out there that dig down deep into the war in Laos and the Hmong, at least not yet. We have been given something that not many people are given. Stories of survivors of a conflict that only they really know firsthand and will talk about. They told us everything they could remember about their lives and not leaving too much out. The struggles I have been through look like a walk in the park compared to what they have gone through. From now on I will be thankful for what I have and the opportunities that are available to me and make the best use of them,
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