We Were Soldiers Once… And

Strong
Hmong tribesmen,
Fighting along side American allies
Against Communist Pathet Lao
And their Vietcong friends.

Proud
Warriors,
Led by our Vang Pao,
“The best guerilla leader
In the world.”

Fearless
Fighters, chasing Vietcongs
From mountaintops,
Through jungles,
Yanking warm AK47s from their dead hands.

Now
Hmong-Americans,
Hunted by our enemies,
Our Lord Protector entrapped
By American friends.

Now
Reduced to extras
In movies, playing dead Vietcongs
Gunned down by American actors,
Who step on our bodies,
Yanking plastic AK47s from our limp hands.


Footnote:
Many young Hmongs from Fresno
Were extras and played minor parts
In the Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers,
Adapted from the book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young.
Of course, they only got to play the parts of the enemy--the Vietcong.