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From the desk of Amber D. Inthavong, Author of   What We Brought Across the River: Memoir of a Lao American My name is Amber Inthavong, I am a Lao American writer and the daughter of refugees from Laos. My work explores intergenerational memory, silence, and the lasting impact of the American Secret War on diaspora communities from Laos. Through my writing, I seek to preserve personal and collective histories that have often been left out of dominant narratives.  I grew up kn

From the desk of Legacies of War’s CEO “KOUL-mander in Chief”, Sera Koulabdara My uncle, a proud subscriber of   Legacies’ blog , reading an article written by my brother Mickey.  “Do you know why we call it szoon?” My uncle asked without looking at me. He stood beside the hospital window, eyes fixed on something far beyond the parking lot below. The trees were moving in the wind. Birds landed and lifted again. He did not see them. He was somewhere else. Before I could answer

Can you truly love something without the possibility of also being completely undone by it? From the desk of Anna Douangphachanh, Legacies of War Board Member Photo: Anna's Lao letter practice Language is central to culture, but their relationship is complex. Both are dynamic, living systems that continuously shape one another. It’s been at the heart of my experience as a Lao American. I’m still discovering what it means to live between these worlds, navigating the rich space

From the desk of: Hannah Hayes , Advocacy Ambassador, Legacies of War I still remember clinging to my grandma on the back of her motorbike, the heat swallowing us whole as we wove through the city, taking it all in as best as I could from behind her. These rides were part of the early years of my childhood, growing up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with my grandma and my cousins. I loved it.  It was through my grandma that I came to know Vietnam and all that it is: experiencin

From the desk of: Jewelry Pouna Keodara , 2025 Titus and Linda Peachey Peace Fellow, Advocacy Ambassador, Legacies of War We often grow up hearing stories from our parents and loved ones about lifetimes before our own, tales that blur truth and myth. Crossing rivers, trekking through jungles to school—each story shaped by the eyes that tell it. As a young girl, I heard tales of war from my family's homeland, but I could not grasp their meaning. During childhood summers, I vis

From the desk of: Jenny Nguyễn , Advocacy Ambassador, Legacies of War Growing up Vietnamese American, I always had this quiet feeling that a part of me existed in a world I couldn’t quite see. At school, I learned American history. At home, I lived American life. But there was another story. One I didn’t have the language for, sitting in the silence between my parents’ memories and my questions that never felt appropriate to ask. My dad came here in 1981 at seventeen. My mom

From the desk of: Susan Saechao , Executive Director of Iu Mien Community Services My name is Susan Saechao, and I am the current Executive Director of Iu-Mien Community Services (IMCS). My journey into this role is deeply personal, rooted in my family’s history as refugees from Laos and my own experience growing up navigating two worlds. My family’s journey began long before I was born, in the mountains of Laos. Like many Iu-Mien families, my parents were forced to flee thei

From the desk of Connie Vengthisane, Lam Vong Circle Member and Legacies volunteer Lao translation coordinator Connie (left) Phanat Nikhom Refugee Camp, Thailand. Early 1980.  In the dusty heat of the 1980s, inside the Ubon Refugee Camp in Thailand, I grew up behind barbed wire and bamboo huts. My life was shaped by the echoes of the American Secret War and the daily struggle to survive. I never had the chance to go to school. Each day was spent helping my family—fetching wat

From the desk of Cathleen Balid, PICS Intern with Legacies of War 2025 Don and Cathleen at Library of Congress Today, and the rest of these three days, have left me wrestling a lot with the American political system and my smallness. And what I mean by that is that advocating  in this political system, in front of staffers, and oftentimes urgently showing up to representatives that may not even see you, makes you feel so insignificant . In the sense that you have this weight

From the desk of Kane Vongsavanh , Legacies of War Board Member Emeritus, Founding Partner Vong Law Group Kane’s family in refugee camp in 1985 in Thailand.  I became connected to Legacies of War when I moved to Washington, DC , after law school. The organization was a significant part of my understanding of where and how my family came to the U.S. Through various Legacies of War events, I also reconnected with the vibrant Lao American community. I eventually served on the Le

From the desk of Richard Theurer Jr., Lam Vong Circle Member (and Danae’s dad!) Grandma, Chantai, Richard in Laos My story and connection with the beautiful country of Laos came about because of love. As a young man, born and raised in the state of North Dakota, USA, there was never a thought of falling in love with—let alone marrying—someone from another country. It was the late 1970s. I had finished college and taken a job in the produce department of a local grocery store.

From the desk of Hatsadee “YoYo” Xayavongchanch, Founder, YoYo Laos Sauce Hatsadee at Mines Advisory Group UXO Visitor Information Centre, Vientiane, Laos How might a spicy condiment help make countries like Laos safer? That's our goal at Yoyo Laos Sauce , a company I started in the UK 5 years ago.   My full name is Hatsadee Xayavongchanch, but everyone knows me as Yoyo. In fact, my nickname started out as “Yo,” but my mum would often shout for me more than once–and then that

From the desk of Khamsone Sirimanivong , Legacies of War Board of Directors Vice Chair This past November, for the first time ever, my mother and I returned to Laos together. We had not been in Laos together since 1979. I was just over five years old when we fled Khammouane Province due to significant post war trauma. Then there was the ever-increasing risk of life threatening UXO accidents from leftover Vietnam War-era bombs that plagued civilians and many farmers in the pro

From the desk of From the desk of  Anna Phommachanthone , Manager of Operations and Community Outreach Emeritus, Fulbright Alum, and Mines Action Fellow They say memories start to form when a child is around 2 and a half years old. As a kid, I had the happiest memories of drawing on the dirt at my grandmother’s house by the Nam Khan River, picking edible flowers for dinner, playing in my family’s old CD store, and riding on a motorbike with my mom as she picked me up from pre

From the desk of Jan Apanich While reflecting on the past year I contemplate how life’s unexpected twists and turns can at times seem like navigating landmines. The intended analogy here immediately grounds me as I think about the communities in and around Laos quite literally spending lifetimes navigating landmines.  How does one navigate life knowing at any moment you, your neighbors or your loved ones can be maimed or killed and  at a higher rate than any other place on ea

From the desk of Mickey Koulabdara , Lam Vong Circle Member and Advocacy Ambassador Strolling through Buddha park Returning to my birthplace, Pakse, Laos, for the first time since I was five years old was a profound and transformative experience. Born in Laos and raised in various parts of the United States before settling in Columbus, Ohio, this trip was initially planned as a vacation. However, it soon became a journey of rediscovery and connection to my roots. Accompanying

From the desk of Lily Poulom Baugher  During the spring semester of my freshman year, I was unhappy with the direction my life was taking. My major at the time, computer science, no longer felt like the right fit for me. I was close to failing my coding class, and the rest of my grades reflected my struggles. Noticing my behavior, my dad decided to buy plane tickets for us to Laos in the summer of 2023. He told me the trip would be a perfect getaway from my stressful life at

By Khamsone Sirimanivong , Vice Chair, Legacies of War I felt deeply honored to attend the Defense POW/MIA (Prisoners of War/Missing in Action) Accounting Agency (DPAA) 2024 Vietnam War Annual Government Briefing this year in Washington, D.C. When I met the families of missing soldiers on the first day, I knew in my heart that this was where I needed to be. I sat down at the center table next to four different families, each representing a different missing American servicema

Reflecting on the heritage, ownership and accountability of war debris in Laos From the desk of: Esther Breithoff Senior Lecturer in...

The Man That Told America From the desk of Danae Hendrickson Xieng Khouang Airport, Laos, photo by Kayleb Lee, Legacies of War “You’ll...