The secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War will be the subject of a new memorial to be dedicated in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on July 15. It will pay honor to the Hmong, Laotian, and American veterans who fought in that tragic and misudnerstood secret war, where the Hmong people sacrificed much to help their American friends.

Here is an excerpt from a July 9 story by Eric Litke in The Green Bay Press-Gazette:

SHEBOYGAN — The city is a week away from the dedication of the Lao, Hmong and American Veterans Memorial, a tribute to the thousands of Special Guerrilla Unit soldiers who died alongside Americans in Vietnam.

"The relationship between the Americans and the Hmong that has been developed, this memorial will preserve that friendship, that loyalty to each other, the respect they have for each other," said ChaSong Yang, director of the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association of Sheboygan.

The $140,000 circular memorial in Deland Park is 44 feet in diameter and tells the story of the Hmong and Lao soldiers who died fighting the North Vietnamese army in the Vietnam War's Laotian front, known as the Secret War. The granite panels of the memorial will bear the names of hundreds who died there, names painstakingly researched because no official records exist.

"The spirit of the soldiers is going to be there," said committee member Vue Yang. "People can learn the story of the Hmong, the reason why they came here and the people that sacrificed themselves, gave their lives for freedom."

Organizers are expecting several thousand attendees at the dedication, which will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and include a flyover, a parade and ethnic entertainment and food, Yang said. Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Reps. Mark Green and Tom Petri have promised to attend the event.