Chee was born in the mountains of Laos. He was educated at the University of Dong Dok. He was a professor of English at the College of Vang Vieng and occasionally served as a special intelligence agent for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Lao-Hmong Special Guerilla Units (SGU) during the U.S. Secret War in Laos, under the auspices of CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer Jerry Daniels. In May, 1975, when Laos fell to the communist regime and tens of thousands of the Lao-Hmong SGU and their families dreadfully fled to Thailand as refugees, Chee worked as a multi-language interpreter/translator for the United States Indochinese Refugee Program under U.S. Ambassador Charles Whitehouse where he also helped process the eligibility of refugees to the U.S. Chee eventually came to Denver, Colorado as a refugee on June 16, 1976. Chee received a Bachelor’s Degree from Antioch University, a Master’s Degree from the University of Denver, and worked for IBM. Chee as Chairman of the American Tribute Committee conducted the first-ever U.S. recognition of the Lao-Hmong SGU veterans on July 22, 1995 in Golden, Colorado. Chee is the founder and president emeritus of the Lao-Hmong American Coalition which is the “parent” organization of Lao-Hmong SGU veterans and their families since 1995. Chee continues to advocate for the Lao-Hmong SGU people at all levels to educate the public about their service and sacrifices for freedom. Chee was a long-time resident of Westminster, Colorado and now Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he and his wife live with their children. A National Lao-Hmong Memorial has been a dream of Yang Chee for many years and has been largely driven by his determination and commitment.