Title
Recognizing and Honoring the Late Colonel Moua Gao in the City of Saint Paul on Saturday, September 22, 2018.
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Whereas, Saturday, September 22, 2018 is the day the community celebrate the life, accomplishments, and contributions of late Colonel Moua Gao, or also known as Moua George/Nyiaj Nkaub Muas, to the United States, the City of St. Paul, and Hmong American community; and
Whereas, Colonel Moua Gao was born on January 1, 1947 in Ban Phousane, Xieng Khouang province of Laos, and dedicated his life to helping and supporting the United States’ Special Guerrilla Unit (SGU) Veterans during and after the Secret War; and
Whereas, he was the second child out of 4 children to Mr. Tou Yee Lor and Sao My Vue. He was later adopted and raised by his stepfather, Colonel Cher Pao Moua, in his teenage years. He has 8 half-brothers and 11 half-sisters; and
Whereas, he married his wife Mai Yia Lee for 29 years. After the death of his wife Mai Yia Lee, he remarried Mai Yia Xiong. He was survived by his wife Mai Yia Xiong and a total of 10 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren from both spouses; and
Whereas, he was one of the few Hmong students attending Lycee Vientiane from 1960 to 1963; and
Whereas, his leadership started at the age of 16 when he joined the Lao Royale Arm Force (LRAF) in 1963 as an Army Sergeant under the command of General Vang Pao, who was in charge of the LRAF 2nd Region in Long Chieng, Xieng Khuang. Colonel Moua served his first military position as a Hmong Liaison military officer based in Wattai Airpot, Vientiane. His military duty was to coordinate with both the Lao Royale Airforce Department (LRAD) and the LRAF headquarters in Vientiane to report daily war activities from General Vang Pao, who engaged his troops against the Pathet Lao/Viet Cong in the province of Xieng Khuang; and
Whereas, Colonel Moua’s military duty included coordinating and communicating with USAID crews at the Wattai Airport and Vientiane to assist waves of Hmong/Lao refugees who fled from the warzone into the capital, as well as expedite army reinforcements leaving to the battlefront of Long Cheing; and
Whereas, he left Vientiane in 1967 with the rank of First Lieutenant to attend a Technical Military Administrative school in Long Chieng. Following his graduation in 1968, he was promoted to Captain and continued to work closely under General Vang Pao as an Army Officer and one of his personal bodyguards, until he attended another General Military school in 1971 in Phoungkheng, Vientiane; and
Whereas, after graduating from the General Military school, Colonel Moua and his Hmong classmates were drafted to combat the Pathet Lao/Viet Cong in Savanhnakhet. He returned to the battlefront in November 1971 to become the second commander of LRAF 2nd region’s special forces (Regime 24) under Major Lee Nou until February 1972; and
Whereas, he was promoted to Major and then Lieutenant Colonel in 1973, and also became the First Commander of Regime 24 (based at Long Chieng) from February 1971 until May 1975. Colonel Moua’s front battles include Plain of Jars, Bouam Long, and Savanhnakhet from 1971 to 1974; and
Whereas, with a broken heart, Colonel Moua fled his homeland after the Pathet Lao breached the peace agreement in May 1975. He and his family crossed into the refugee camp in Thailand to join thousands of his countrymen and women. By August 1976, Colonel and his family received Visa from the French Embassy in Bangkok to become political refugee asylum in France until 1986, when he ultimately entered into the United States to join the rest of his siblings in California; and
Whereas, in the United States, Colonel Moua served his beloved community to create thousands of jobs by helping his family operate a very successful security agency, the Lao/Hmong Security Agency (LHSA) from 1982; and
Whereas, he relocated to Minnesota in 2000 to take care of his elderly mom. During his time in Minnesota, he continued to serve the Hmong communities locally and across the states. He joined several Hmong non-profit organizations, such as the Lao/Hmong Veteran association and the Lao Family Association; and
Whereas, after a long and hard-fought battle with a serious illness, he peacefully passed away at the age of 71 on August 16, 2018; and
Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the City of Saint Paul honors and recognizes the late Colonel Moua Gao’s life, accomplishments, contributions, and years of service to the community on Saturday, September 22, 2018; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the City of Saint Paul extends heartfelt condolences to the family of Colonel Moua Gao.