More Than 200 Turn Out For Vigil For Vang Pao
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) --More than 200 people turned out to for another candlelight vigil to remember Vang Pao, the former Laotian general who was a key U.S. ally in the Vietnam War.
The vigil Saturday night in Fresno was the third for the former Hmong leader since he died at the age of 81 on Jan. 6 after losing a battle with pneumonia.
The Fresno Bee reports that 20 men who fought with the former general were among those attending the vigil.
The former general led Hmong guerrillas in a CIA-backed battle against communists in Laos and was credited with resettling tens of thousands of Hmong in American cities.
A four-day funeral set to begin Feb. 4 at the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center is expected to draw thousands of people.
Vang Pao's family is seeking a burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
