This is an IHeart podcast.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people.

And we'd love to hear stories from our listeners. That's you. Send them to Our American Stories.com.

That's Our American Stories.com. They're some of our favorites.

After the United States withdrew from Vietnam in the 1970s, their allies around the region who had fought against the

communists faced torture, involuntary servitude, and death. They were on their own. The man

to lead the charge to save them? The governor of Iowa, Robert Ray. Here's our own Monty

Montgomery with the story of the good governor. Take it away, Monty. with the story of The Good Governor.

Take it away, Monty.

In the state of Iowa, there's a unique ethnic group.

In fact, there are more in Iowa than anywhere outside of Asia.

They're called the Thai-Dahn.

But how did they end up there?

Here's Matthew R. Walsh with the rest of the story.

Tai-Dawn means black tie. And they're called black tie because of the clothing worn by their women. Now this ethnic minority was from northwest Vietnam.

That's their ancestral homeland around the place called Dien B'NBan Fu.

But they ended up in Laos after North Vietnam fell to the

communists. But what happens is South Vietnam falls to communism and these Taidom are very scared

because they know that the communists remember them and how they fought against them in North Vietnam.

These Taidama worried Laos is going to be next.

And in May of 1975, they actually crossed the border into Thailand seeking asylum.

And it is from Thailand that they write letters to 30 U.S. governors.

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