Photo By Pachari Middleton | Spc. Suong Nguyen, 840th Transportation Battalion, serves as a cargo specialist at an...... read more read more
Sgt. Suong Nguyen remembered the call she made from the Columbia, South Carolina, airport to let her mother know she wouldn’t be able to reach her for a few months. Nguyen was about to enter Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson. Her mother’s reaction? Silence. Then she told Nguyen to stay safe.
She had no idea her daughter was joining the Army.
It was not Nguyen’s first foray into the unknown. “I was born in 2003 in Saigon, Vietnam, and moved to the United States when I was nine,” Nguyen said.
The genesis of that move to the U.S. began long before Nguyen’s birth. During the Vietnam War, Nguyen’s mother’s family fought for the Republic of Vietnam. “My mother often shared stories about my grandpa and his brother, who selflessly fought and set an excellent example for me during my upbringing,” Nguyen recalled.
After the war, her uncle and grandfather were given the opportunity to move to the U.S. Her grandfather wanted his daughter and her family to join him to take advantage of educational possibilities for the children.
In November 2012, Nguyen’s family traveled from Vietnam to reunite with her grandfather, who’d been working the process for nearly a decade to bring them to where he’d been waiting in Florida. By the time the family landed in Orlando, Nguyen’s grandfather had passed away. “He’d been waiting for us to land so he could take his last breath.”
It was a blow to the family, none of whom spoke English.
But the second biggest shock turned out to be a positive one, according to Nguyen. “How they welcomed immigrants—it’s a bit friendlier than what I expected. And lucky for me, the school that I went to was very diverse and I got a Vietnamese teacher, so I got to learn more English than what I thought I could have.” The education her grandfather wanted for his grandchildren paved the way for Nguyen to join the U.S. Army Reserve.
“What truly stood out to me was the incredible diversity of cultures within our Army, a melting pot of individuals with their own unique stories and backgrounds. It was truly eye-opening. Additionally, I was impressed by the wide range of job opportunities available, catering to every possible interest and skillset,” she said.
During a recent deployment, she was assigned to the 840th Transportation Battalion, working at undisclosed ports in the U.S Central Command area of responsibility as a cargo specialist in the hazardous materials (HAZMAT) section. She was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, which strengthened her resolve to continue her Army career and one day become an officer.
It was a far cry from Nguyen’s childhood in Saigon. “We were poor. There were a few moments in our years in Vietnam where we rarely had food. That’s why I’m grateful for what I have now,” Nguyen said.
That gratitude and her background influenced her decision to serve. “I’m deeply moved by the profound impact that my mother’s family history has had on me. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given the same opportunities as my mother’s family to come to the U.S. and I cannot help but be grateful for this privilege. To show my gratitude, I have decided to serve my country, just as my grandpa did,” Nguyen said.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2024 07:43 |
| Story ID: | 487669 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Hometown: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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