Posted on 02/04/2011 8:38:33 PM PST by Racehorse
The US Army has rejected a request for ethnic Hmong leader Vang Pao to be buried with full military honours in Arlington National Cemetery.
Gen Pao led a 15-year CIA-sponsored secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War and, when it was lost, led tens of thousands of his people into exile.
He died last month. The army's decision came as mourners attended the first day of a six-day funeral in California.
Gen Pao's friends said they would appeal to the White House.
"Obviously to everyone who is here today to honour Gen Vang Pao, this is very disappointing," said Congressman Jim Costa, who led a group of lawmakers to lobby for the general to be buried alongside US soldiers in Arlington.
"He is not just a hero to the Hmong people. He is a hero to those American men and women who served with him in Vietnam."
A spokesman for the Pentagon, Gary Tallman, said the request had been thoroughly reviewed but that the board had unanimously decided he did not meet the criteria for burial in the cemetery.
Military veteran Charlie Waters, a friend of Gen Pao's, said he had been given "a lame excuse that it would take the place away from an American serviceman".
"So we're appealing to the White House," Mr Waters told AFP news agency, adding that he had offered to give up his own plot.
It was not immediately clear where Gen Pao would now be interred.
Vang Pao died at the age of 81 in January in Fresno, California, a centre of the Hmong expatriate community in the US.
Tens of thousands of military and Hmong mourners have gathered in the city for his traditional funeral.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
How dare you insinuate I am a racist? On what basis? That I don’t think people who are not American military should be buried at Arlington? Do you always go so far out of your way to be insulting and nasty?
“So we’re appealing to the White House,” Mr Waters told AFP news agency
—————————————————————————————— Good luck.
He fought the Communists and helped the United States was the reason he was denied.
The General should be put in a place of respect, but not where we bury our hallowed American servicemen.
There’s also a young woman buried there who apparently died from leukemia at age 20. The only tie to the military I could find is that one or both parents were in service.
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If she was 20, single and died from leukemia she was probably an ‘authorized’ dependent, who qualifies if one parent does but think they have to ‘share’ space.
go to www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ar290-5internments2.0.htm
US Army Regulations (AR-290-5) Arlington National Cemetery
Article 2.6E is ‘interesting’.
Hmong Leader Vang Pao ‘MAY’ be eligible for inurnment at ANC Columbarium, but like most Govt Regs it is kind of ‘cloudy’ and can be interpreted in a couple of ways.
BTW, Teddy boy is ‘eligible’ due to having been elected to high US office as long as his 2(?) year US Army stint ended honorably, despite the fact his time during Korea was spent in Germany
Say what?
Who the hell is we?
Do you have a frog in your pocket?
Did you fight in that war?
WE didn't lose it, it was given away by a bunch of dumb ass politicians in a corrupt administration that was influenced by a an equally dumb ass bunch of liberal, tree-hugging fools that convinced said dumb ass politicians that their voting block was big enough to hurt them.
Had WE been allowed to fight the damned war, it would have been over in about three weeks. Instead, WE were hamstrung by a bunch of touchy-feely crap rules of engagement that resulted in the loss of over 59,000 brave and able US soldiers, for no reason whatsoever.
Lost it, my ass.
He fought for our country, He belongs in Arlington.
“This man was actualy a war hero that fought for the U.S.” I am with Racehorse and chesty_puller.
For the record, Costa is highly responsible for the water diversion that's killing off California's agricultural industry in the San Joaquin Valley.
I agree. This is not an insult to U. S. troops buried there. He was an important leader of men who fought for our interests. It obviously served his purposes too, but he even fled his homeland for having sided with us.
I say honor the man.
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