| Huan Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Place of birth | Hue, Vietnam |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1993- |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Awards |
Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star (1) Meritorious Service Medal (1) Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2) |
Huan Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Huan) is a rear admiral in the United States Navy. Nguyen was born in Hue, Vietnam, the son of an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, Nguyen’s mother and father, along with his five brothers and sister, were killed in their family home outside Saigon. Nine-year-old Nguyen was shot twice during this attack. He stayed with his mother for two hours, until she unfortunately bled out and died. Nguyen managed to survive and escaped after dark.
Nguyen was taken in by his uncle, a colonel in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force. In 1975, at age 16, they fled Vietnam, seeking refuge in the United States following the fall of Saigon. Transported through Guam, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel took care of Nguyen and his family. The U.S. 7th Fleet helped to evacuate thousands of Vietnamese refugees and transport them to safety in Guam. Seeing the U.S. Navy take care of his family would later inspire Nguyen to serve in the Navy.
He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1981, and received a direct commission with the Reserve Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) program in 1993. He holds Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering (Southern Methodist University), Engineering (Purdue University), and Information Technology (with highest distinction) from Carnegie Mellon University.
Nguyen’s operational tours include test officer and officer-in-charge of Detachment 113 at Ship Repair Facility in Yokosuka, Japan. Nguyen served as executive officer and chief engineer for Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) field office in Camp Victory, supporting Multi-National Corps Iraq, where he was instrumental in the stand-up of Joint CREW Composite Squadron One. With Task Force Paladin and the Combined Explosive and Exploitation Cell, Nguyen supported Combined Forces Command Afghanistan as CREW engineer.
Staff assignments include director, Military Programs at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA); executive officer for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Enlisted Personnel; Engineering duty officer Community Manager (Reserve Component). His last assignment was as deputy chief information officer for NAVSEA. Selected Reserve assignments include NAVSEA, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the Office of Naval Research. His first flag assignment is as deputy commander for Cyber Engineering, NAVSEA.
Huan Nguyen becomes first Vietnamese U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.
The man who attacked his family was later executed, the act of which was captured in an infamous photograph.
In 2019, he became the highest ranking Vietnamese-American officer in the U.S. military when he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy.[1]
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Navy document "Rear Admiral Huan Nguyen".
The original article can be found at Huan Nguyen and the edit history here.