WHEREAS, May 14 is the anniversary of the fall of Long Cheng, a United States-Hmong airbase in Laos during the Laotian Civil War, where the Hmong fought alongside the United States against the communist forces of North Vietnam, also known as the “Secret War,” from 1961–1975; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 Hmong soldiers were killed during the Secret War, including many Hmong soldiers who were under 18 years of age; and

WHEREAS, The United States, starting in December 1975, helped Hmong refugees flee to Thailand and helped more than 100,000 Hmong refugees come to the United States; and

WHEREAS, May 14, 1975, was the last airlift evacuation of Hmong soldiers and families from Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand; and

WHEREAS, the Hmong population was historically displaced by political persecution in Laos, forcing many to resettle and start over in the United States, which is home to over 300,000 Hmong Americans, with over 90,000 in California being the largest Hmong population in the United States by state; and

WHEREAS, the City of Fresno houses approximately 35,000 Hmong Americans and the City of Sacramento houses approximately 27,000 Hmong Americans, the largest Hmong populations in the state and the second and third largest Hmong populations in the country by city; and

WHEREAS, the State of California celebrates and supports the Hmong community in preserving its cultural traditions, cuisine, and art, as it contributes to the social, political, and economic makeup of our state and nation as our soldiers, firefighters, educators, nurses, doctors, lawyers, athletes, elected officials, and more; now, therefore, be it