FRESNO, Calif. — Thousands of sobbing mourners in military uniforms and traditional Hmong dress paid their final respects Friday to the late Gen. Vang Pao, a U.S. ally in the Vietnam War whose proposed burial at Arlington National Cemetery was denied by the Army.
A stately procession marked the opening of an elaborate, six-day funeral service in Fresno, a city with a large Hmong population.
Vang Pao commanded a secret CIA-funded guerrilla army in the jungles of Laos during the Vietnam War.
The grandeur of Friday’s ceremony was dampened by news that the Army had denied the Arlington burial request.
California Democratic Reps. Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza had submitted the request on behalf of Vang Pao’s family shortly after his Jan. 6 death at age 81, saying the general had earned the honor of being buried alongside American soldiers.
An Army spokesman declined to discuss the reason for the refusal.
It was not clear where the remains would go after the funeral, given the Army’s decision.
