Flags to fly at half-staff Sunday for Hmong-Lao Veterans Day

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Flags across the state will fly at half-staff Sunday to honor the thousands of Hmong-Lao veterans who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War and now live in Wisconsin.

“The story of Hmong-Lao veterans and their service is integral to the story of Wisconsin, and I am proud to once again lower the flag as we commend them for their service and sacrifice,” Gov. Tony Evers wrote in a statement announcing his executive order.

Nearly three years ago, Wisconsin passed legislation designating May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day. The date was selected because it corresponded to the day in 1975 that the last airlift evacuated the remaining Hmong-Lao soldiers and their families from their headquarters in Long Tieng, Laos, the Evers Administration explained.

Many of them found a new home across the United States, including in Wisconsin. Now, the Badger State has the third-largest Hmong community in the country.