12 Facts About Lee Lue

Major Lee Lue was a Laotian Hmong fighter bomber pilot notable for flying more combat missions than any other pilot in the Kingdom of Laos.

Lee Lue flew continuously, as many as 10 missions a day and averaging 120 combat missions a month to build a total of more than 5,000 sorties.

Lee Lue was the leader of the special group of Hmong pilots flying T-28Ds from Long Tieng against the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese positions.

Lee Lue's T-28 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Muang Soui, crashing in a mountainous area near Ban Phou Pheung Noi on July 12,1969.

Lee Lue was born in 1935 to Chong Ger Lee and his wife Pa Vang in the village of Phou Pheng in Xiangkhoang Province, Laos.

In 1953, Lee Lue's family moved to Xieng Khouang city after the Vietnamese invaded Laos.

Lee Lue studied in Xieng Khouang city and later enrolled in teacher training school.

Lee Lue was among a handful of Hmong teachers in the entire country.

Lee Lue successfully flew aerial support for ground troops and amassed a record number of sorties.

Away from the war, Lee Lue devoted his time to studying maps, and playing cards with his comrades.

Vang Pao telephoned Lee Lue, who was flying from Vientiane, to see if he carried any bombs with him as he was on his way to Long Tieng.

Lee Lue's plane was later found in debris near Ban Phou Pheung Noi.