General Vang Pao, a champion and beacon of hope among the Hmong people, died at the age of 81 on Jan. 6, 2011.

From the bloody jungles of Laos to his troubled exile in the America, Pao’s legacy suffered numerous ups and downs. And yet, his determination to improve the lives of the Hmong people was persistent, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

During the Vietnam War, Pao led the Hmong against the North Vietnamese in an effort to aid the United States. Moreover, he was a man who fought for the rights of the Hmong,

“The origins of Pao’s influence derives mainly from his strong leadership, a hope of the Hmong that one day Pao will free Laos from the communist rule, and a charismatic leader revered by many Hmong people,” said George Guo, associate professor of political science and east Asia studies, in an e-mail interview.

Pao was a complex leader. As illustrated by his contradictory status internationally, a hero to some and a villain to others, Pao was a man of duality.

Although revered as a freedom fighter, Pao was accused of ordering executions of political prisoners, working within the opium trade to finance his guerilla forces and even executing some of his followers, according to Guo in an interview.

After combatting the Japanese in World War II and the Viet Minh alongside the French in the First Indochina War, Pao’s military career came in line with American interests during the Vietnam War. In 1960, he led the Hmong in a brutal campaign against the North Vietnamese after being secretively recruited by the CIA, according to Robert Duncan, assistant professor of political science.

Duncan added that Pao’s contribution to the war in Vietnam was significant, saying that hundreds of the Hmong, who were not fighting, would come to “cheer and support” him in his campaign in Laos during the war in Vietnam.

The North Vietnamese viewed the Hmong as less civilized, causing the Hmong to resent them. As a result, the CIA took interest, said Duncan, being in the CIA himself

“The American military were looking for help, and for friendly people in Southeast Asia to help us fight the Vietcong and Vietnamese,” said Duncan. “The Hmong were a good choice because they hated the Vietnamese.”

After 15 years of fighting, 17,000 Hmong soldiers— almost 10 percent of the Hmong population — died, according to Pao , speaking at the Heritage Foundation think tank in 1987. This was provided by the BBC in an article covering his death.

Despite many years of fighting and many lives lost, the U.S. abandoned the Hmong after defeat in Vietnam.

“We left the Hmong high and dry,” said Duncan.

After the war, Pao led tens of thousands of Hmong into the United States in 1975, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

In America, he negotiated and advocated for the freedom of the people he fought for. He also founded the Lao Family Community Organization that provides social services and support throughout the nation.

Pao, however, was also a leader who did not escape controversy.

Despite being recruited, trained, and supported by the United States, Pao was charged by the U.S. for attempting to overthrow the Lao government. An article by Politico stated that the charges were dropping in 2009.

Though he was never found guilty, Pao’s reputation suffered.

In 2002, a town in Wisconsin decided not to name a park with his name after discovering his executions, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

Despite his political troubles, Pao’s influence on the Hmong people is unmistakable, as roughly 170,000 foreign-born Hmong were living in the United States by 2000, reported to a timeline of the Hmong by Lao Family Community.

Though considered a hero and leader to some, while a villain and murderer to others, one cannot argue that General Vang Pao forever altered the course of his people’s history and will surely not soon be forgot.