Harry C. Aderholt - Evacuation of The Hmong

Evacuation of The Hmong

One of Aderholt's prouder moments was his assistance in evacuating Hmong leaders from Laos as the Pathet Lao communist army advanced on their base at Long Tieng in May 1975. The U.S. by that time had withdrawn all its civilian and military personnel from Indochina, except for a few Embassy personnel in Laos. Aderholt was the last American general on the ground in Southeast Asia. He had few resources. Aderholt was informed that help was needed to evacuate the Hmong who for more than a decade had comprised the "secret army" in Laos assisting the U.S. in fending off the North Vietnamese Army in the Laotian Civil War. He located three American transport aircraft and pilots in Thailand. He had the planes "sheep dipped" to remove all markings identifying them as American-owned and sent them to Long Tieng. In four days of intense activity, the transport planes evacuated more than 2,000 Hmong, including general Vang Pao and Jerry Daniels, his CIA case officer.

During the last few years of his life from 2002 until 2010 Aderholt was directly involved with the Thailand Laos Cambodia Brotherhood as a member of the TLC Assistance Committee working to raise many thousands of dollars of funds and also made several trips back to Northeast Thailand and Laos hands on involved with humanitarian aid. The TLC Brotherhood has dedicated an assistance project in his memory and many of the members of the TLC Brotherhood served at Nakhon Phanom at all phases.