Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Lee Lue ( RPA: ''Lis Lwm'',

Pahawh Pahawh Hmong (Romanized Popular Alphabet, RPA: Phaj hauj Hmoob , Pahawh: ; known also as ''Ntawv Pahawh, Ntawv Keeb, Ntawv Caub Fab, Ntawv Soob Lwj'') is an indigenous Semi-syllabary, semi-syllabic writing system, script, invented in 1959 by Sh ...

: '; 1935 – 12 July 1969) was a Laotian

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ...

fighter bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

pilot notable for flying more combat missions than any other pilot in the

Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was the form of government in Laos from 1947 to 1975. Located in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, it was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the sou ...

. Lee Lue flew continuously, as many as 10 missions a day and averaging 120 combat missions a month to build a total of more than 5,000 sorties. Lee Lue was the leader of the special group of Hmong pilots flying T-28Ds from Long Tieng against the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao (), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and political organization, organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of ...

and

North Vietnamese North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

positions. The group was funded by the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

and was part of the regular

Royal Lao Air Force The Royal Lao Air Force (; – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government and the Kingdom of Laos during t ...

, but took orders directly from MR2 Commander Gen.

Vang Pao Vang Pao ( RPA: ''Vaj Pov'' , Lao: ວັງປາວ; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Major general in the Royal Lao Army and later a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. Early life Vang, an ethnic Hm ...

. His T-28 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over

Muang Soui Muang Soui(In Lao: ເມືອງສຸຍ) (also called Muang Souy or Muong Soui) is a small town in Xiangkhouang Province Laos. It is located on Route 7 of Laos, so east of Phoukhoune district, northwest of Phonsavan, and Ban Phou Pheung Noi, bu ...

, crashing in a mountainous area near

Ban Phou Pheung Noi Ban Phou Pheung Noi () is a Laos, Laotian village located at the peak of Phou Pheung mountain in the Xiangkhouang, Xieng Khouang province of Laos. Phou Pheung mountain is approximately . During the Vietnam War, combat between the American allies ...

on July 12, 1969. At the time of his death, he had flown more combat missions than any other pilot in history. A motto attributed to him was "Fly 'til you die." He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Biography

Lee Lue was born in 1935 to Chong Ger Lee and his wife Pa Vang in the village of Phou Pheng in

Xiangkhoang Province Xiangkhouang ( Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning 'Horizontal City') is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily-bombed place on Earth. Historically ...

, Laos. In 1953, Lee Lue's family moved to Xieng Khouang city after the

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese invaded Laos. After the war ended in 1955, Lee Lue married Jou and two years later their first child, a son named Nkiag (nickname: Ze), was born and went to Samthong College in 1974. Lee Lue studied in Xieng Khouang city and later enrolled in teacher training school. In 1959, he became an elementary school teacher in Lat Houng. He was among a handful of Hmong teachers in the entire country. As the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was a covert Theatre (warfare), theater during the Vietnam War with both sides receiving heavy ...

or Secret War was escalating in 1967, Touby Lyfoung and General

requested volunteers for flight training in T-28s. The training took place in Thailand. With six months of flight training, Lee Lue and another volunteer, Vang Toua, became the first two Hmong T-28 fighter pilots. Lee Lue successfully flew aerial support for ground troops and amassed a record number of sorties. Away from the war, Lee Lue devoted his time to studying maps, and playing cards with his comrades. Prior to his death, Lee Lue had purchased his military uniform and was waiting to be promoted to major. "He was excited about the promotion," said his wife Jou. When the area of

came under heavy enemy attack, Gen. Vang Pao telephoned Lee Lue, who was flying from Vientiane, to see if he carried any bombs with him as he was on his way to Long Tieng. Lee Lue's

T-28 T28 may refer to: Aircraft * Enstrom T-28, an American helicopter * North American T-28 Trojan, an American trainer * Slingsby T.28, a British glider Armoured land vehicles * T-28 (medium tank), a Soviet tank * T28 super-heavy tank, an ...

was armed. Vang Pao needed Lee Lue to attack the

troops in Muang Soui, as they were losing ground as well as troops. On that day, Lee Lue's T-28 was hit. His plane was later found in debris near

. "His death is among a few soldiers I cried to," stated Vang Pao in 2006. According to Christopher Robbin's book, ''The Ravens'', respect for Lee Lue and his skills was shared by not just the Hmong but also seasoned American pilots.Hmong Historical Figures Presentation

Notes

References

* Hillmer, Paul (2010). ''A People's History of the Hmong''. Minnesota Historical Society. ISBNs 0873517261, 9780873517263.

External links

St. Paul Pioneer Press: August 10, 1990, Page 1A
*http://hmonglessons.com/the-hmong/hmong-leaders/lee-lue-lis-lwm/ History and Career of Lee Lue *http://ravens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Episode0000.htm Nevermore Until Tomorrow (Short Stories From Laos 1961–1975)

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links

Further reading