Photo By Airman 1st Class Jordaan Kvale | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Khampane Daoreuang, base equipment custodian office...... read more read more
Subscribe
Tech. Sgt. Khampane Daoreuang’s path to the 194th Wing, Washington Air National Guard, has been anything but ordinary.
His story begins long before he ever donned an Air Force uniform. Daoreuang’s father was in the Laotian Army, an infantryman and paratrooper trained by U.S. personnel amidst what is now known as ‘The Secret War,’ a covert conflict in which the U.S. supported Laotian forces against communist expansion. As the war drew to a close, the communists persuaded the king of Laos and his soldiers to lay down their arms. Daoreuang’s father refused.
“When that happened and people were laying down their arms, my dad was like, ‘Look, anybody that wants to come with me, I’m taking my family, and I’m getting the heck up out of here,’ ” said Daoreuang.
That single act of defiance — choosing to fight for his family’s future instead of surrendering — set Daoreuang’s life on an extraordinary path. Daoreuang’s family fled to Thailand, where Daoreuang was born in 1982. He spent his early childhood in a rudimentary refugee camp.
“There was no running water, so whatever water we had, we had to store it,” said Daoreuang. “And there was no electricity where we stayed. I remember using lanterns and candles.”
From Thailand, his family moved to the Philippines. And in 1989, they boarded a plane bound for the United States, eventually settling in Washington State. The adjustment to American life was not easy.
“It was extremely hard, because there was a culture difference,” said Daoreuang. “I didn't grow up in the Southeast Asia culture. Growing up, I was pretty Americanized and my parents didn't know how to raise me.”
Without strong guidance, Daoreuang struggled.
“I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, not going to school and stuff like that,” said Daoreuang. “I was almost illiterate. I couldn’t even read or write.”
By the time he reached high school, Daoreuang landed in juvenile court for truancy. But the judge gave him an alternative to juvenile hall.
“It was either go Job Corps or get sent to juvenile hall,” said Daoreuang. “And so I was like, ‘Job Corps it is.’ ”
Job Corps provided Daoreuang the opportunity to earn his GED and learn a trade as a cement mason.
“Honestly, if it wasn't for Job Corps, I wouldn't even be here talking to you right now, or have some kind of formal education, or even know how to read or write,” said Daoreuang.
After graduating Job Corps, Daoreuang found that steady work was scarce. And at 21, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the U.S. Army.
“The counselor asked me if I wanted to go airborne,” said Daoreuang. “I was like, ‘Yeah, absolutely!’ And I ended up going infantry.”
Daoreuang enlisted Feb. 4, 2004. After completing basic combat training, advanced individual training and airborne school, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He helped with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and when he returned, his enlistment was nearly complete. But before his enlistment ended, the Army stop-lossed him for a deployment to Iraq.
“It was definitely a very hard deployment,” said Daoreuang. “There were people you just have a normal conversation with and next thing you know, they died. It was unreal.”
His intense deployment was more than he could endure. Upon returning stateside, Daoreuang planned to separate.
“I sat down with a retention [noncommissioned officer,]” said Daoreuang. “And he goes, ‘You still have 48 months left in the inactive reserve. There's a lot going on right now. If you get called back, you’ll go to the needs of the Army. But I'll give you a good deal: you join the National Guard for two years, and we'll take the remaining two years away and you’ll be non-deployable.’ ”
Daoreuang took the deal. He completed two years in the Washington Army National Guard and separated from the military, only to rejoin three years later.
“I was in my late 30’s and I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do some gung-ho stuff,’ ” said Daoreuang.
Within a short time period, Daoreuang undertook three courses: Master Fitness Training Course, Air Assault School and Ranger Training Assessment. But the physical toll became harder to ignore.
“I lasted for eight days [at Ranger Training Assessment,]” said Daoreuang. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? I'm going to give it another try.’ But then I sat back and thought about it. I was like, ‘Man, I'm 39 now, pushing 40, and everything is hurting.’ “
Seeking a role that remained challenging but without the physical strain, Daoreuang transitioned to the Washington Air National Guard in 2022. He retrained into the 194th Communications Squadron, where he is currently the Base Equipment Custodian noncomissioned officer in charge.
In his short time in the Air National Guard thus far, Daoreuang has had some unique opportunities. In 2024, he deployed to the United Arab Emirates. And now he is preparing for a year-long change of station to Germany.
“I'm pretty fortunate,” said Daoreuang. “I have a pretty good life, got a solid career outside of the military and a very solid career in the military. And I get to travel for work in the military and see all these cool places where people pay to go.”
From a refugee camp in Thailand to the Washington Air National Guard, Daoreuang’s journey is one of resilience, perseverance and pride.
“I have 18 years in total now, that's including active duty and [drill status],” said Daoreuang. “Every time I put on this uniform, there's always a sense of satisfaction. I'm proud, proud to be an American and proud to serve.”
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.09.2025 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 550024 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Thailand refugee camp to the Air National Guard, by A1C Jordaan Kvale, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
