Fort Hood Shooting, hmong victim

[sam1]

Army PFC Kham Xiong, 23, an active duty soldier from St. Paul who was assigned to Company A, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Brigade, was among the 13 killed in the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas.

As word about the shootings spread through the military community surrounding Ft. Hood, Xiong’s wife, Shoua Her, followed the news coverage on television. Living off base with their three young children, she found herself unable to get onto the post, which was locked down for security, according to her brother-in-law, Cha Yee.

She called Xiong’s cell phone repeatedly, but got no answer. Then she tried contacting local hospitals, but still could get no information about Xiong, who was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan at the end of the year.

“He was psyched about it. He was definitely looking forward to his deployment” said Cha Yee, in St. Paul. “He was ready to go.”
When Xiong didn’t return home Thursday evening, Shoua Her got increasingly distraught. It wasn’t until late at night, or early Friday morning, that the Army confirmed her worst fears.

“She called us about 3 a.m., crying,” Cha Yee said. “We could barely understand what she was saying.”

Married just a year ago, she and Xiong had been high school sweethearts at the Community of Peace Academy in St. Paul.

“He was a very fun, outgoing person. He always had a smile on his face,” Cha Yee said of Xiong.

A forklift operator before he enlisted in the Army last year, Xiong is also the father of three children, ages four to 10 months.

He had dreams of going back to school, Cha Yee said. That’s where the Army came in. “He thought it would give him the funds to pursue a higher education,” he said.

Xiong was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. He was still an infant baby when his parents, Chor Xiong and Pa Xiong, moved to Minnesota. He was the third of 11 children, and the oldest boy.

From the sketchy information the family has been able to glean, Xiong and his unit were lined up to go into a building where soldiers deploying overseas were getting medical check-ups and shots. That’s where the shooting erupted. Beyond that, the family still doesn’t know much.

“Everyone’s just trying to slowly take it in,” Cha Yee said.

On Friday, as Xiong’s parents and other family members were trying to process what happened, four of his sisters were flying to Texas to help his widow prepare to return home to St. Paul with the children. “It still hasn’t sunk in,” Cha Yee said

[sam1]

video

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s1237734.shtml?cat=1

http://wcco.com/local/fort.hood.shooting.2.1296782.html

[thao_yaaj83]

Sad to hear that a Hmong who was just trying to make things better for his family is now gone, leaving his wife and young kids behind.
Hope that killer wakes up from his comma and serve his time in jail. Hope his @$$ get rape all night and day in jail.

[lyllyxiong]

we'd lost a hero to the world of violence..may you rest in peace...and god bless your family...you will be miss...

[sam1]

Funeral set for Minn. soldier killed at Fort Hood
Associated Press

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 2:11 PM


MAPLEWOOD, Minn. - Funeral arrangements are being planned for a Minnesota soldier who was killed at Fort Hood last week.

Pfc. Kham Xiong (kahm shong) of St. Paul was among the 13 people who died in the shooting spree at the Army base in Texas. Another 29 people were wounded.

Yee Vang, a manager at Legacy Funeral Home in St. Paul, says a traditional three-day Hmong funeral for Xiong will begin at 9 a.m. on Sat., Nov. 28, at Legacy's Maplewood chapel. It will run through Monday afternoon, Nov. 30. Xiong will then be buried with military honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The time hasn't been determined.

Xiong was 23 years old, married, with three young children. He had been preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.

[sam1]

Funds set up for Xiong's wife, kids

Star Tribune
Last update: November 13, 2009 - 9:40 PM

Support is growing to assist the family of St. Paul soldier Kham See Xiong, who was among those slain at Fort Hood in Texas last week.

Joining in the effort is William Marvy Co., the St. Paul beauty and barber shop supplier that employs Chor Xiong, Kham's father. The company has set up a "Kham Xiong Fund" at Anchor Bank, and contributions can be made at any of its branches.

Community of Peace Academy Charter School in St. Paul, from which Pvt. Xiong and his wife graduated in 2004, started a collection this week in the memory of Xiong, who leaves behind wife Shoua Her and their three children. Xiong was their sole provider.

Donations are being accepted at Community of Peace Academy, which five of Kham Xiong's siblings attend. Checks can be made payable to the "Kham Xiong Fund" and mailed to: Xiong Memorial, Community of Peace Academy, 471 Magnolia Av. E., St. Paul, MN 55130.

Community of Peace Academy is also accepting gifts in-kind, such as food and clothing, on behalf of the Xiong family. These items can be delivered to Community of Peace Academy.