Some of the oldest veterans in Fresno's Veterans Day parade fought a war most Americans never heard about. Hmong men who served in the Special Guerrilla Units in Laos are riding on their own float Wednesday in the 107th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade downtown.

The parade steps off at 11:11 a.m. with nearly 160 entries and more than 300 vehicles, plus flyovers and the Fresno State marching band. A new grandstand was built along the route this year.

The war in Laos

During the Vietnam War the CIA recruited thousands of Hmong fighters for a covert campaign in Laos. They worked to cut supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and risked their lives to rescue American pilots shot down over the jungle. Many had little training and faced a far better armed enemy.

Losses were staggering. As fathers and older brothers died, boys in their early teens were sent to take their places. When the war ended in 1975 thousands of Hmong families had to flee Laos and many eventually rebuilt their lives in the United States. The Fresno area is now home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the country.

A float of their own

Because the war was kept secret for so long, many people watching a parade do not know who the Hmong veterans in uniform are. Organizer Cheng Yang wanted to change that while the men are still here to see it. Working with Lao Veterans of America and SGU Veterans and Families of California, he raised money from local families and businesses for a float, trucks and trailers.

Most of the surviving soldiers are in their 80s and 90s and the route runs about 3 miles, too far for many of them to walk. Instead they and their wives will ride along the route wearing their medals and waving American flags.

Paul Loeffler, one of the parade's announcers, said the event is meant to celebrate every veteran and not just those with famous stories. He pointed to the Hmong veterans and Native American veterans as examples of the community's diversity on display.

For the Hmong families lining the curb, the cheers are a long overdue thank-you to fathers and grandfathers who stood with the United States when it counted.