HMONG AMERICAN HISTORY The Hmong began arriving in the United States in 1975 following the US withdrawal from the war in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong were the main US foot soldiers in Laos responsible for rescuing downed pilots and prohibiting supplies and Viet Minh troops from reaching the battlefield in South Vietnam. Had it not been for the Hmong, more US soldiers would have died in the Vietnam War. After the US pulled out from Vietnam and Laos, the Communists blamed Hmong efforts for the tremendous costs and long duration of the war. For that reason, the Vietnamese and Laotian Governments marked the Hmong for genocidal extinction. Without any means of defense and without supplies, many Hmong were easy targets for the slaughter. As many fled for their lives, the Mekong River that separates Thailand and Laos were soaked with Hmong blood and littered with Hmong bodies. Next Pages »