Inge Sargent

Inge Sargent

In my opinion, heroes should be trustworthy, kind, and generous. They should be willing to help in any way, shape, or form. Heroes should try to do what’s right, no matter what the cost. A hero should be like a friend, so you can talk freely about everything. I have chosen Inge Sargent because she stood up for people’s rights.

Sao Kya Seng

When Inge was six years old, the Nazis invaded her home of Karnten, Austria. After WWII, she went to the U.S. for schooling. In 1951, she won one of the first Austrian Fulbright scholarships. She enrolled at a women’s college in Colorado. In college, she met Sao Kya Seng and they fell in love. They were married in 1953. Soon after they were married, they sailed to Burma.

When they arrived in Burma, lots of people were waiting for them and Inge didn’t know why. Sao explained to her that they were waiting for them because he was the Prince of Hsipaw. She fell in love with Burma quickly and learned to speak Shan and Burmese. They both worked very hard to improve life in Burma. Sao introduced new farming techniques. He also taught his countrymen to explore mineral and gem deposits. Inge set up new birthing clinics, taught villagers nutrition, and started a trilingual school.

After nine years, they couple had two daughters named Mayari and Kennari. In 1962, the Burmese army had set up a coup under the leadership of General Ne Win. Sao was arrested and put into prison. Also, Inge and her daughters were put under house arrest. For the next two years, Inge worked hard to find out what happened to Sao, but she eventually faced the truth. Before Sao had been put into prison, he had told her she should return to her parents in Austria. She made it back, but not on her own. She had help from an Austrian ambassador. Inge and her two daughters took only three suitcases. Living with her parents for two years, Inge chose to go back to Colorado. She became a high school German teacher. She worked hard to help her two daughters get adjusted to the United States. In 1968, she met Howard Sargent and soon after they were married. He encouraged her to write her biography. In 1994, her biography called "Twilight Over Burma" was published.

“Before I wrote the book, I used to have nightmares of running with my two little girls while bullets flew past us. But since finishing the book, the nightmares have ended,” Inge said.

In 2000, Inge was awarded the United States Association International Human Rights Award for her efforts.

Sao Kya Seng and Inge Sargent

I think that heroes should be kind, trustworthy, and very generous. They should always be willing to help in any way possible. Heroes should try to do what’s right no matter the cost. They should be like your best friend, so you can always talk to them no matter what. My hero, Inge Sargent, tried to do what was right no matter how she was punished. She was always willing to help her people in Burma even if she didn’t live there. She was very generous with the money she made from her book. In every way, Inge Sargent is a great hero.