Galen Beery Legacy Exhibit
Sam Thong
Sam Thong was the USAID refugee operations center for northeastern Laos from 1962, until it was evacuated on March 20, 1970. It was a significant location in Laos during the Secret War, also serving as an administrative headquarters for the Lao regular Forces Armées Royales (FAR) troops and a hub for various activities, including refugee relief programs, medical services, and educational facilities. It hosted offices for the military and various other government divisions, providing a semblance of administrative functionality in the region. There were various ethnic groups, including the Hmong, Phuan, Lao Theung, T’ai, and other ethnic Lao minorities who were present and active (Dommen & Kuhn, 1995).
Sam Thong was notably involved in a refugee relief program. The program was extensive, encompassing school and medical systems, and served over thousands of people. The program was initiated by Edgar M. "Pop" Buell and later picked up by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), becoming a large operation. It was also supported by various individuals like Dr. Charles Weldon and Dr. Pat McCready, who helped integrate various services like medical relief, educational facilities, and agricultural programs (Hillmer, 2006b).
The site had an airstrip, hospital, nurses' quarters, and a teacher training college. The hospital in Sam Thong was fully functioning with an operating room and was equipped to provide various medical services to the local population and refugees. The teacher training college trained village men and women to eventually teach in their own villages. These facilities were part of the broader effort to provide services to the local population and refugees (Dommen & Kuhn, 1995).
References:
Dommen, A. J. & Kuhn, E. C. (1995). Interview with Ernest C. Kuhn. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/item/mfdipbib000646/
Hillmer, P. (2006b). Interview with Steve Schofield. Hmong Oral History Project. 21. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/hmong-studies_hohp/21
