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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: Gillian Flude, Project Officer,  Mine Action Canada Sera and Gillian on top of Patuxai (Victory Monument) in Vientiane.   It’s been one year since my visit to Vientiane, Laos with Legacies of War, but the memories from the trip feel much closer. I was so honoured to be personally invited by Sera, Legacies of War’s incredible “KOUL-mander in Chief”. The entire trip was a testament to Sera and the Legacies of War team’s love of Laos, a love that is impossible

From the desk of: Susan Hammond, Founder and Executive Director of War Legacies Project , Co-Chair of the War Legacies Working Group Whenever I return to SE Asia, as I will in a few days, I always remember my first trip to the region in the spring of 1991. I was first drawn to Vietnam because I wanted to get a better understanding of what was so important about this far away country that it took my father away from me for his two tours when I was a child.  My father rarely ta

From the desk of Alexandra Hansen , Legacies Advocacy Ambassador Growing up south of Houston, Texas, I was surrounded by an infectious enthusiasm for innovation. My father was a career engineer at NASA, and has contributed to many incredible innovations that have sent men and women (some who were parents of my high school classmates) into orbit. I have always been thrilled by the belief that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with a team and a shared vision. I follo

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...

From the desk of Jeremy Kuzmarov In the winter-spring semester of 2003, I was a graduate student at Brandeis University working on a...

From the desk of Jessica Pearce Rotondi Chair, Legacies Library and author of   What We Inherit : A Secret War and a Family’s Search for...

From the desk of Lucas Sadoul , Legacies of War Lam Vong Circle Member, Advocacy Ambassador While studying Electrical Engineering at...

By Justina Poskeviciute On this International Youth Day, I can’t help but solemnly reflect on the lack of care much of the world is...

From the desk of Kane Vongsavanh , Legacies of War Board Member Emeritus, Founding Partner Vong Law Group Kane’s family in refugee camp...

From the desk of Richard Theurer Jr., Lam Vong Circle Member (and Danae’s dad!) Grandma, Chantai, Richard in Laos My story and connection...

From the desk of Hatsadee “YoYo” Xayavongchanch, Founder, YoYo Laos Sauce Hatsadee at Mines Advisory Group UXO Visitor Information...

Touring Vientiane sites (Pha That Luang) with my mother in 2005 I thought I had won the lottery when I was tapped to go to Laos in 2004....

From the desk of Dr. Ramya Ravisankar , Associate Professor Columbus College of Art & Design Before starting the fall 2024 semester at...

From the desk of From the desk of  Anna Phommachanthone , Manager of Operations and Community Outreach Emeritus, Fulbright Alum, and...

From the desk of  Murphy Nosanchuk , Legacies of War Advocacy Ambassador, Intern Emeritus, and Mines Action Fellow There is a tangible...

From the desk of Ret. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin Fifty-two years after the bombing stopped on Laos, the people of Laos continue to face...