Huan Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 Rear Admiral Nguyen (before Nov 2020) | |
| Born | 1958or1959(age 64–65) |
| Education |
|
| Occupations |
|
| Employers |
|
| Awards | Melvin R. Lohmann Medal |
| Military career | |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Years | 1993–2022 (29.2 years) |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Unit | Naval Sea Systems Command |
| Awards | Legion of Merit × 3 |
Huan Nguyen (born 1958or1959) is a South Vietnamese engineer and retired rear admiral in the United States Navy.
The son of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Tuân, [1] [2] Huan Nguyen was born in 1958or1959 in Huế, South Vietnam. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, Nguyen's parents and six siblings were killed at their Saigon-area home by alleged Viet Cong guerrillas. Shot in the arm, thigh, and skull, nine-year-old Nguyen stayed in the house for two hours—while his mother bled to death—and then escaped after dark. [3] News sources from the 2020s reported that one of the men who attacked Nguyen's family was Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém, whose execution by Nguyễn Ngọc Loan was famously photographed by Eddie Adams. [1] [2] In 2018, Max Hastings wrote that American historian Ed Moise was "convinced that the entire story of Lem murdering the Tuan family was a postwar South Vietnamese propaganda fabrication." [4]
Thereafter, Nguyen lived with his uncle, a colonel in the South Vietnam Air Force, until 1975 when they fled to the United States after the Fall of Saigon. Nguyen and his uncle's family first moved to Midwest City, Oklahoma, near Tinker Air Force Base. [3] While his uncle worked as an auto mechanic for Volkswagen, Nguyen worked at Shotgun Sam's Pizza Palace for an hourly rate of US$2(equivalent to $11.32 in 2023). [5]
Nguyen was one of 560 graduates from Midwest City High School in 1977, [5] where he was a member of the school's French club, Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program, National Honor Society, and photo club. [6]
In 1981, he graduated from Oklahoma State University (OSU) with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. As of October 2019 [update] , he also held three master's degrees: electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University, engineering (manufacturing concentration) from Purdue University, and information technology (with highest distinction) from Carnegie Mellon University. [3] In 2020, Nguyen was inducted into OSU's College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame and received the school's highest honor, the Melvin R. Lohmann Medal. [7]
Nguyen was inspired to join the United States Navy after witnessing the sailors and Marines who cared for his family en route to the US in 1975. In 1993, he was commissioned through the Reserve Engineering Duty Officer program. [3]
Since then, he has been assigned to United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka where he was test officer and officer-in-charge of Detachment 113 at the Ship Repair Facility in Yokosuka. 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 at the Fleet Electronic Warfare Center. With Task Force Paladin and the Combined Explosive and Exploitation Cell, Nguyen supported Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan as CREW engineer. He also had assignments within the Naval Sea Systems Command, United States Pacific Fleet, and the Office of Naval Research. At the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., on 10 October 2019, Nguyen became the first Vietnamese-American promoted to rear admiral. Upon his promotion, he was assigned to Naval Sea Systems Command at the Washington Navy Yard as Deputy Commander for Cyber Engineering. [3] [8]
Nguyen retired from the Navy on 7 October 2022, with a retirement ceremony held at the Washington Navy Yard. [9] Among his awards and decorations are three Legion of Merits, [10] [9] a Bronze Star Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals among various other individual, and unit campaign and service awards.. [3]
After retirement he became the senior advisor to Naval Sea Systems Command, providing support on cybersecurity and digital transformation. On August 2023, The National Bureau of Asian Research announced that Nguyen will join the NBR Board of Directors. [11]
In August 1994, Nguyen began working for General Motors (GM) where he managed the team that designed and integrated the powertrain control module for all of GM's platforms. In 2006, he became the senior vice president of Bank of America and established computer security standards and processes. After joining Exelis Inc. in 2009, Nguyen "managed a multi-million-dollar portfolio of independent research and development projects on ground electronic warfare countermeasures, counter-remote improvised explosive device systems and interference mitigation systems." [7]
Major General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan was a South Vietnamese general and chief of the South Vietnamese National Police.
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the United States Navy, and is the flagship of the Seventh Fleet. Her primary role is to provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) support to the commander and staff of the United States Seventh Fleet. She is currently forward-deployed to U.S. Navy Fleet Activities, Yokosuka in Japan, and is the third Navy ship named after the Blue Ridge Mountains, a range of mountains in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. Blue Ridge is the oldest deployed warship of the U.S. Navy, following the decommissioning of USS Denver. Blue Ridge, as the U.S. Navy's active commissioned ship having the longest total period as active, flies the First Navy Jack instead of the jack of the United States. Blue Ridge is expected to remain in service until 2039.
Edward Thomas Adams was an American photographer and photojournalist noted for portraits of celebrities and politicians and for coverage of 13 wars. He is best known for his photograph of the summary execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Viet Cong prisoner of war, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1969. Adams was a resident of Bogota, New Jersey.
Saigon Execution is a 1968 photograph by Associated Press photojournalist Eddie Adams, taken during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War. It depicts South Vietnamese brigadier general Nguyễn Ngọc Loan shooting Viet Cong captain Nguyễn Văn Lém near the Ấn Quang Pagoda in Saigon. The photograph was published extensively by American news media the following day, and would go on to win Adams the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
The Vietnam People's Navy, internally the Naval Service, also known as the Vietnamese People's Navy or simply Vietnam/Vietnamese Navy, is the naval branch of the Vietnam People's Army and is responsible for the protection of the country's national waters, islands, and interests of the maritime economy, as well as for the co-ordination of maritime police, customs service and the border defence force.
The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; Vietnamese: Hải quân Việt Nam Cộng hòa - HQVNCH; was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats from France; after 1955, and the transfer of the armed forces to Vietnamese control, the fleet was supplied from the United States. With American assistance, in 1972 the VNN became the largest Southeast Asian navy and, by some estimates, the fourth largest navy in the world, just behind the Soviet Union, the United States and the People's Republic of China, with 42,000 personnel, 672 amphibious ships and craft, 20 mine warfare vessels, 450 patrol craft, 56 service craft, and 242 junks. Other sources state that VNN was the ninth largest navy in the world. The Republic of Vietnam Navy was responsible for the protection of the country's national waters, islands, and interests of its maritime economy, as well as for the co-ordination of maritime police, customs service and the maritime border defence force.
Albert Joseph Herberger was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy, and the first United States Merchant Marine Academy graduate to attain the rank.
Rear Admiral Wayne Eugene Meyer is regarded as the "Father of Aegis" for his 13 years of service as the Aegis Weapon System Manager and later the founding project manager of the Aegis Shipbuilding Project Office. He retired from the United States Navy in 1985 as the Deputy Commander for Weapons and Combat Systems, Naval Sea Systems, Naval Sea Systems Command and Ordnance Officer of the Navy.
Khương Hữu Bá was a South Vietnamese naval officer in the Republic of Vietnam Navy. He is a direct descendant of a well established and aristocrat family Khương Hữu ̣(refer to Khuong-huu family website for additional family information). He is married to Mrs. Khương Trần Ngọc Lê.
Admiral Harry Donald Felt was an aviator in the United States Navy who led U.S. carrier strikes during World War II and later served as commander in chief of Pacific Command (CINCPAC) from 1958 to 1964.
Hispanics in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to men such as Lieutenant Jordi Farragut Mesquida, who served in the American Revolution. Hispanics, such as Seaman Philip Bazaar and Seaman John Ortega, have distinguished themselves in combat and have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. Hispanics have also reached the top ranks of the navy, serving their country in sensitive leadership positions on domestic and foreign shores. Among those who have reached the highest ranks in the navy are Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish descent, who participated in the War of 1812 as an assistant Sailing master; Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, for whom the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy was created during the American Civil War; and Admiral Horacio Rivero, who led the navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
George Stephen Morrison was a United States Navy rear admiral and naval aviator. Morrison held significant commands of United States naval forces during the Vietnam War. He was the father of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors.
An engineering duty officer (EDO) is a restricted line officer in the United States Navy, involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, and the systems installed aboard. As of August 1, 2016, there are approximately 835 engineering duty officers on active duty in the U.S. Navy, representing approximately 2 percent of its active-duty commissioned officers.
Vice Admiral Kevin Michael McCoy is a native of Long Island, New York and joined the United States Navy in 1977. McCoy's last naval posting was as the 42nd commander of Naval Sea Systems Command. Since 2013 he is a President of Irving Shipbuilding Inc.
Donald Lauren Custis was an American vice admiral in the United States Navy who served as Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 1973 to 1976. He later served as chief medical director for the Veterans Administration from 1980 to 1984.
RDML Stephen Frederick Williamson is a United States Naval officer. In 2015, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that President Barack Obama had nominated Capt. Stephen F. Williamson for the rank of Rear admiral.
Alma M. Grocki is a retired United States Navy rear admiral. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1981, she served in a succession of warship and submarine maintenance postings before transferring to the United States Navy Reserve in 1988. Grocki commanded various U.S. Navy facilities, shipyards and programs before becoming director of fleet maintenance for the United States Pacific Fleet and deputy commander of Naval Sea Systems Command.
The 4th Regional Command under the Vietnam People's Navy (VPN) is the naval operations command that independently manages and protects the Spratly Islands, Phú Quý Island, South China Sea and the South Central Coast, from Phú Yên to the North Bình Thuận including the provinces: Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận and the North of Bình Thuận. Its headquarter is in the Cam Ranh Bay Navy Base.
Damon Warren "Hutch" Cooper was a United States Navy Vice admiral who served in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the Commander, Task Force 77 during the late stages of the Vietnam War.
On this day, Nguyễn Văn Lém was executed by a South Vietnam soldier. The image of his death changed the US's perception of the whole war.
Media related to Huan Nguyen at Wikimedia Commons