Wisconsin memorial seeks donations as it adds new names honoring Lao, Hmong and US Secret War veterans

The Lao, Hmong and American Veterans Memorial is seeking public donations as it prepares to dedicate 10 new picture panels and engrave eight additional names this year. The panels are part of an ongoing effort to document Lao, Hmong and American veterans who served in the U.S.-backed Secret War in Laos from 1961 to 1975. Organizers continue to identify and verify names decades after the conflict ended.

The memorial honors members of the Special Guerrilla Units, or SGU, along with Lao, Hmong and American personnel who participated in the Secret War. The conflict, conducted with support from the Central Intelligence Agency, involved Hmong and Lao forces working alongside U.S. operations against North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces.

Many individuals who served were not formally recorded in U.S. military systems following the war. The memorial documents those individuals through engraved granite panels listing names alongside historical descriptions and visual elements depicting wartime experiences and Hmong cultural contributions.

Organizers continue to identify individuals through family submissions and historical research. Names are added as they are verified, with engraving work continuing throughout the year.

The project is led by local organizers in Sheboygan, including chairman Vue X. Yang, and has expanded in phases since its establishment in the mid-2000s. Annual dedications have marked the addition of new panels and names, including six panels installed in 2025.

The upcoming dedication will include 10 picture panels that expand the memorial’s visual documentation of the war and eight newly engraved names identified through ongoing verification efforts. Organizers continue to update the memorial as additional individuals are confirmed.

The effort relies on public contributions to support engraving and installation costs. Organizers have said engraving costs are $410 per name, with donations accepted by mail to the memorial’s Sheboygan address as the project continues to expand its record of SGU, Lao, Hmong and American veterans.