During the Vietnam War, the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited groups of marginalized communities in Laos to navigate the lack of infrastructures and jungles in South East Asia. The largest group of recruits were the Hmong people. They were led by Vang Pao who was a bridge between the Hmong people and the United States government and this caused many Hmong people to rely on Vang Pao in a time of uncertainty. This reliability resulted in Vang Pao being a political voice that hovered the narratives of Hmong people and other Hmong leaders. The social mimicry, white professionalism in academia, and limited Hmong narratives have created a whitewashed, and distorted version of the Secret War.

The popular memory of the Secret War is a tactic that creates a toxic-positive relationship between victims and a group in power. The group in power (usually a form of government) dominates and controls a historical narrative. The victims and bystanders of the popular memory usually do not challenge this narrative due to social mimicry, which is the act of copying a dominant culture to feel secure.

The reason why it became popular so quickly was to suppress the Hmong memories of starvation, bombing, and the famous slogan "No Boom-Boom, No Rice."

The settlement of HMoob refugees became a popular memory or "traditional" Secret War story. This story briefly explains how good of an ally Hmong refugees were because of their willingness to help the American troops during the Vietnam war. The reason why it became popular so quickly was to suppress the Hmong memories of starvation, bombing, and the famous slogan "No Boom-Boom, No Rice." The heavy bombing from Communist Parties and United States in Laos caused consequences for Hmong villages to be constantly pushed into different areas of Northern Laos. The inability to secure a stable area to live meant they could not rely on their subsistence rice crops as a food source and it further enhanced more food insecurity to Hmong people. This caused thousands of Hmong people to die from illnesses and starvation. According to a 1972 news article by the Mt. Vernon Register-News, the slogan "No Boom-Boom, No Rice" kept the fatigue Hmong troops fighting. Hmong troops who refused to fight were stripped of their resources, such as food and other benefits. Journalists covering the Secret War often referred to the CIA as "paymasters" who made sure that Hmong troops aren't "pocketing" payment which comes to twenty-five dollars per month. Hmong youth must analyze their history to avoid the perpetuation of suppressing Hmong narratives.

White professionalism in academia has disregarded many historical narratives of Hmong elders and survivors of the Secret War. This is a form of institutionalized racism that favors western style and organization of whiteness. White professionalism will fall heavily on future Hmong historians who rely on oral history because often times it is disregarded. White professionalism says it could be "made-up" because most times there is not documented proof. This means the lived experiences of Hmong elders could be invalidated because many did not have access to education or possess "proof". White professionalism restricts Hmong people from producing their own historical narrative.

Yawm txiv voiced his concerns to McCoy and said, "too many Hmong people have died already, and Vang Pao keeps sending more."

My mom's oral history of my yawm txiv will always be my prized primary source. My yawm txiv's interview with Dr. Alfred McCoy's has made me consider a critical lens in the Secret War. My yawm txiv (Maternal Grandfather), Ger Su Yang, expressed his concerns of the inconsistent "guaranteed" rice-drops from American troops and was a large critic of Vang and the CIA. The alliance between Long Pot and the CIA was through forced aggression where he described how Vang Pao and his men were offering money and his arms while threatening reprisals if Long Pot remain neutral. Their alliance is strong in the early 1960s until a decade later when the United States CIA demands more or all men from Long Pot and my yawm txiv refused to send any more men. The first twenty men sent from Long Pot were killed in action and my yawm txiv did not have the heart to send any more out after sending sixty the year before. The CIA warned my yawm txiv that they would discontinue rice to Long Pot if he does not send more recruits. Long Pot was dependent on the Air American rice drops but he realizes it came at the expense of human lives. Yawm txiv voiced his concerns to McCoy and said, "too many Hmong people have died already, and he (Vang Pao) keeps sending more." In 1971, my yawm txiv and villagers fled Long Pot because of their fear with the heavy bombing from the United States and Laotian armies. Although the United States officials claim it was to escape slaughter from the communist regime, most of the Long Pot vill agers sync in agreement that it was due to the United States' bombing. When my yawm txiv was asked which he feared most, the bombing or the slaughtering from the Pathet Lao (communists), he replied with an emotional voice "The bombs! The bombs!".

Future Hmong generations must not allow for this popular memory to become a "tradition" and become the producers for the history of the Secret War.

Hmong youths have a mission to uncover the larger picture of the Secret War. As we visualize the experience of General Vang Pao, he is a victim of manipulation and was stuck in a toxic-positive relationship with the United States government. He thought that by providing more Hmong troops, it would improve the security of Hmong people in Laos. Vang Pao was not able to analyze it until the fall of Long-Cheng in 1975, but if our future Hmong generation learn how to dissect and confront the harmful popular memory, they would be such a powerful force.

The United State's CIA was so nervous about my yawm txiv's interview that they contacted the publisher for McCoy's book and insisted for prior review, it was published anyways.

My yawm txiv was the tswv zos (Head of The Village) of Long Pot, the largest HMoob opium distributor. He was not afraid to hold the United State's accountable for their illegal drug trade and utilization of HMoob bodies. My yawm txiv fully interviewed with Dr. Alfred McCoy for his book "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia" about the CIA's rice drops and opium trade with Long Pot. The United State's CIA was so nervous about my yawm txiv's interview that they contacted the publisher for McCoy's book and insisted for prior review, it was published anyways.

Holding the United States accountable does not mean we hate the country. It means Hmong people love our-selves and each other. We need to be reconciliated for the loss of land, culture, and lives. Future Hmong generations must not allow for this popular memory to become a "tradition" and become the producers for the history of the Secret War. Hmong elders and refugees accepted the bare minimum of this story to feel secure because they are just trying to survive in a new regime. Nonetheless, they remained preserved and created a foundation in the United States for future Hmong generations to revive the Hmong identity, and history. Although we, Hmong youths, carry the trauma of our ancestors – we also carry their resiliency.