“Having Courage to Overcome”

William Moua

Winona, MN | Hmong | He/him/his

With enough courage and hard work, even the most extreme obstacles can be overcome. William Moua believes that with all his heart, because it is the story of his life. When reminiscing on his childhood, William Moua tells of evading bombings and gunfire in the jungles of his native country, Laos. William and his family were persecuted by the Communist government in Laos because of their involvement in the Vietnam War with the Americans. “The Communist government in Laos could not kill the Americans to get their revenge, so they targeted the Hmong”, he says.

Many Hmong families joined the resistance after being recruited by the United States’ CIA, and their participation in the Vietnam War from Laos saved many American lives. However, when the war was over and the Americans left, the Hmong were very vulnerable. Once the war was over, any ounce of stability that existed in his life disappeared.

William distinctly remembers the 3.5-hour swim they encountered as they fled to Thailand; the young children in the group were kept safe on makeshift bamboo rafts, but the adults had to make the swim themselves. Though the journey was long and arduous, it was well worth it when they crossed the border into their safe haven, Thailand. Two elderly people in the group died along the way, but all the other villagers who set out together in search of a better life were on the right path to finding it. Refugees in Thailand William and his family arrived at the refugee camp in Thailand in 1980 with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Soon after arriving, he desired to go live in the United States, but his father would not leave the region as long as his brother was still stranded in Laos. Two of William’s siblings left for the United States in 1987, but he chose to stay back with his parents.

The next few years were spent hopping around to different refugee camps, until finally, in 1994, at the age of 26, William got on a plane bound for the United States with his mother, father and wife. New Life in the United States William and his family settled in Providence, Rhode Island with his sibling who had come to the United States before them. After two years of living in Providence, William moved to St. Paul with his parents and the family he had started with his wife. There, William pursued a degree in nursing, and paid for all of his schooling without receiving any financial aid or taking out any loans. The family stayed in St. Paul for 8 years, until learning that William’s step-brother in the Winona area was selling his business. William got a lot of experience working in business while in Thailand, and was eager to settle in Southeast Minnesota, a place he felt very safe.

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