Speaker. on January 6. 1967. Don M. Sjostrom. an Agency for International Development area operations officer engaged in refugee work. was killed in a sneak attack by North Vietnamese troops on the town of Kat Khang in Sam Neua province in northeast Laos. SJostrom was directly responsible for the support of some 30.000 refugees. mostly hill tribesmen who have moved from Communistheld to Royal Laotian Government territory because of military action or for political reasons. Most of Sam Neua. a mountainous province on the North Vietnamese border. is in Communist hands. and the numerous refugee sites served by the USAID refugee relief operation are surrounded by Communist Pathet Lao controlled territory. In directing relief operations. Sjostrom was required to oversee all resettlement activities and distributions of rations within his area. This involved frequent visits to sites located within war zones and thus constantly subject to enemy attack. Sjostroms unhesitant devotion to this difficult task which often exposed him to danger was a point of constant admiration among his fellow workers. One of his supervisors said: In his passing the Mission suffered a great loss. so did the refugees of Northern Laos. so did everyone who ever knew him. In recognition of his contributions to the furtherance of United States and Laotian objectives in northern Laos. the mission has nominated Don Sjostrom for the Secretarys award and recommended that his name be inscribed on the plaque in the lobby of the Department of State. Sjostrom. 26. was born in Everett.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees