Edgar 'Pop' Buell was a farmer from Steuben County; Indiana; but following the death of his wife in 1958 he joined the International Voluntary Services; a precursor to the Peace Corps; which offered him a job as an agricultural adviser in Laos. Buell worked in Laos through the Laotian Civil War; organizing relief aid to refugees and isolated villages; before he was forced to flee Laos in the mid-1970s.

He is widely regarded as having been the CIA's main contact with the Hmong anti-communist forces during the Laos 'Secret War' (1964-1973).

Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 - 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.

Pictures From History