Posthumous honor for General Vang Pao

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Valley Hmong community took time this Memorial Day to honor General Vang Pao. Monday's ceremony was held at Courthouse park in Downtown Fresno.

Hmong veterans stood at attention to honor America's fallen soldiers and to pay tribute to the late General Vang Pao.

A new bronze plaque was unveiled to honor the Hmong leader who led a group of CIA-trained troops to aid the U.S. during the Vietnam War.

His son Chi Neng Vang said, "It's a huge honor for the family but I think more importantly it's a huge honor for my father and for the Hmong American community. Today's Memorial Day so we're using the day to not only honor him but for all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom."

A Hmong elder played a traditional musical instrument after the ceremony. Community leaders were encouraged to see young people sprinkled in among the veterans in attendance.

Fresno city councilmember Blong Xiong said, "Every year we come here a lot of our elders we're starting to see less and less and what I would love to see is a lot of our young folks being here."

The new plaque is located next to the Lao-Hmong American war memorial.

Chi Neng Vang is also president of the General Vang Pao Foundation which honors veterans and seeks to strengthen the community.

Vang said, "It's also to promote education in this country. It's something my father advocated strongly for and has his son it is something I will continue to do."

The city and county of Fresno helped to make the plaque dedication a reality.