By Carson Ode

 

The business and cultural core of a metropolitan area of about 700,000 people is bisected by a beautiful river — the Des Moines River flowing through the heart of Des Moines. The river has always been treated as an amenity. In 2013, the Principal Riverwalk was completed, enhancing the cultural attraction. Taking a stroll, you pass landscaped public areas; world-class public art; unique bridges; Lauridsen Skatepark, the nation’s largest and best; and at the northern end, you arrive at the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens. There is a great story that prompted the construction of this elegant display of Asian culture.

 

“I didn’t think we could just sit here idly and say, “Let these people die. We wouldn’t want the rest of the world to say that about us if we were in the same situation. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This quote by Iowa Gov. Robert Ray, in the late 1970s, set in motion a great humanitarian resettlement of refugees from war-torn countries of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

 

Other states were more reluctant to lay out the welcome mat. The Tai Dam, an ethnic minority in Vietnam who feared retaliation for their anti-communism past, evacuated to Thailand where they campaigned for sanctuary and asylum. Ray was the only governor in the United States to extend a helping hand. Today, more Tai Dam live in Iowa than anywhere outside of Asia.

 

The Hmong are an ethnic group that migrated from China to Laos in the 18th century. The United States Central Intelligence Agency recruited the Hmong as allies in the Vietnam War. One of their missions was to rescue downed U.S. pilots. In 1976, during the first wave of Hmong refugees, Ray was one of the humanitarians to open his heart to welcome them to the state of Iowa. It was a good fit for the Hmong as they were heavily into agriculture in their home country. 

 

From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during a secret war with the communist country on Vietnam’s western border. The U.S. fought to support the Royal Lao against the Pathel Lao and to interdict traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The bombings destroyed many villages and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lao civilians during a nine-year period. In 1973, when the U.S. withdrew from Laos, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the country. More than 100 families settled in Iowa. Today, there are more than 2,000 Lao families in the state.

 

In Cambodia, the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot during the regime’s rule from 1975 to 1979, is well documented. Under Pol Pot’s leadership, genocide led to the death of nearly two million people out of a population of seven million people.

 

On a trip to Thailand, Iowa’s governor and his wife, Billie Ray, saw the suffering first hand of 30,000 starving Cambodian refugees. An outpouring of concern led him to create Iowa SHARES. Iowans contributed close to $2 million to rush food, medicine and volunteer nurses and doctors to save thousands of the refugees.

 

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