Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | Photo illustration highlighting the career of North Carolina Army National Guard Maj....... read more read more
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Army Maj. Saquang Lam, a Signal Officer assigned to the North Carolina National Guard’s 60th Troop Command, has seen many changes over his 30-year career. However, the one constant has been the support he receives from his close-knit Asian- American community.
“The community looks up to military service and is very well respected and always showed their appreciation for my and other military members' service to the country,” said Lam.
“As a child when I first saw the red, white, and blue flag wavering into battle in the Cambodian border, my family and thousands of refugees owed our lives,” said Lam. “I knew that one day I must defend under these colors.”
His service began in 1993 at Fort Leonard Wood as an Army logistics specialist, then joining the NCNG in 1998 and earning a commission in 2008 as an Armor officer.
“Everyone in the community was so excited that the U.S. Army gave me this opportunity to serve,” said Lam.
He would be put to the test as an NCNG officer with multiple combat deployments in 2004-2005 and 2009-2010 in Iraq, then a tour in Kuwait 2018-2019, several state active duty missions for natural disaster response, and over a year on orders combatting COVID-19 as a command and control officer-in-charge.
“They looked up to me as a leader, I influenced a lot of people in our community to join the military,” said Lam.
Those missions came at a great cost as fellow Soldiers in his platoon were killed in action.
“A lot of my guys still call and help each other, it hits me deep in my heart,” Lam said.
He uses his years of leadership and experiences back in the community, “I'm very well engaged through my mentorship of youth and other volunteering opportunities,” Lam said.
He works as an Assistant Director at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro with nearly 20 years of experience in information technology.
The Department of Defense designates May as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in tribute to the contributions and dedicated service of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, past and present, in defense of the nation.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2023 13:21 |
| Story ID: | 445869 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NC Guard Leader Reflects on Asian-American Community Support During 30 Years of Service, by SFC Robert Jordan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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