During the Vietnam War, the C.I.A. recruited Laotian Hmong to fight the communists. It is estimated that 30,000 Hmong died assisting the U.S. The first wave of Hmong refugees who emigrated to the U.S. grappled with survivors’ guilt and, for decades, agonized over human rights violations committed against those left behind, including attacks on unarmed civilians, rape, and torture.
