His voice is soft —weak at best, from years of yelling over the sound of bombs being dropped and old age. Often, he utters nothing, but the entire world hears him. When actions speak louder than words: A story about the silent phenomenon of General Vang Pao.

He is a walking hero, a legend who is still living and breathing among us. What makes one a legend in his community? Although he was raised in a tight-knit community, over the years he has risen to become a worldly leader and an example of the tragic aftermath of wars. He is known throughout the universe. People love him, people hate him. People are loyal to him, and some may equally despise him. Wherever he goes, his presence is honored, familiar and stirring. This is what we call, The GVP Phenomenon.

When General Vang Pao was arrested by the United States government on charges of trying to overthrow the government of Laos, we witnessed an event that caused an uproar in the Hmong community. One of the most significant things about this event was how much involvement there was among the younger generation, otherwise known as “Gen Y” and Millennials. New media tools, such as Facebook and blogs, opened the door for global communication. As a result, people were brought together because of their shared concern about war, persecution, betrayal and issues surrounding Hmong genocide. Supporters of General Vang Pao utilized grassroots efforts, enhanced by modern technology, to educate and inform the greater population about the importance of the General to the Hmong people. Much of the awareness surrounding his high profile arrest, was established and organized by local community groups.

For the first time in over 30 years, people from around the world, and most importantly, in the United States, learned about the historical ties of a small ethnic group known as the Hmong. Led by General Vang Pao, they had a significant involvement with the United States C.I.A. in the Vietnam War. The aftermath of their contribution and ties to the United States ultimately resulted in mass massacres of innocent Hmong people.

With no questions asked, on September 21, 2009, all charges against General Vang Pao were dropped. Contrary to the coverage and attention of his arrest and prosecution, the United States government and the media downplayed the decision. Finally, he was quietly released.

Subscribe now to receive this issue in the mail!

Dear Reader,

An exciting new year is ahead of us. To celebrate the new year, we reflect back on our past and analyze the changing facets of our culture. In this issue, we cover stories like naturopathy as a way of life; autism and the complex relationships and practices involved in weddings. We also have an inspiring story from the perspective of a teacher —and a constant learner, and the children who will one day become our future. I invite you to join in the discussion in our forum and give us your honest opinion.

As always, I hope that you will be inspired to write your own story and share it with us.

Yia Mua, a Hmong Legend speaks about his life in and out of the spotlight with 18XEEM.

This interview was published in the July 2007 issue of 18XEEM.

Where were you born?
I was born in Laos on May 18th. Laos fell to Communism on May 15th. Basically, two days after I was born, we left Laos. I came to Thailand and we were over there for 6 months. In 1975, we came to the US. We were the first wave of Hmong immigrants to come over.

What have you been doing?
I’ve been retired for about two years from fighting now. Currently, I’m in financial services. I do real estate mortgage and financial planning.

How did you get into Muay Thai Kickboxing?
It was kind of like a dare. Laughs. I’ve always been in martial art –since I was 9, when I started training. I had a childhood friend who was doing Chinese kick-boxing, eventually he ended up being my trainer. He started competing first though and I would watch him fight, and I liked it. Then when I was 18, I started fighting amateur. At 19, I turned professional.

18XEEM Sponsors Rock & Rose, a benefit fashion show. Come join us on Oct. 10, 2009 at the Warren City Hall and win a custom 18XEEM messenger bag… or just buy your own from our online store!

Like any other language, the Hmong or Mong language, takes time to learn and get accustomed to. One of the most difficult things people have with learning the Hmong language, is the sound, because the spoken language is a tonal language, pronunciation makes a huge difference when you’re trying to say a word. The easiest thing about learning Hmong is, once you master the basics, writing and reading it is extremely easy. Some people spend only a few days learning how to read or write in Hmong, while learning how to pronounce it, can take months or years. Here are some great resources to start off with, if you’re interesting in learning more about the Hmong language.