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If you ever need to be reminded of why it’s a privilege to live in America, come talk to Trung Dang.
 Dang was born in Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City), the capital of South Vietnam.
When he was just thirteen years old, he witnessed death and destruction all around him. The Vietnam War. “I remember it was 1968 when Saigon was attack,” says Dang. “I saw rockets being fired and bombs going off. Many people were killed. My house was burned to the ground.” Luckily Dang and his family were able to escape.
When Dang turned eighteen, he was drafted to join the Intelligence Unit. ”When the Fall of Saigon was broadcasted on the radio on April 30, 1975, I left Vietnam with a group of Navy officers headed towards the international waters where the U.S Seventh Fleet was docked to pick up refugees,” Dang recalls. “However, we decided to turn around and head back to Vietnam.” When Dang got back, he was captured and sent to labor camps in the jungles of South Vietnam.
Dang was released in 1976 and placed under house arrest. His rights as a Vietnamese citizen were revoked. “I wasn’t allowed to apply for jobs or go anywhere without permission from the communist government or the police.” In 1981 he escaped with sixteen other people in a small boat. They had to use fake identifications to get pass the police checkpoints and they only had a few gallons of water to share. “In the daytime we would looked for the Sun to guide us in the right direction and at night we depended on the North Star. We got lost several times on the cloudy nights and many of us got really sick. The boat almost sunk during a bad storm.” After six exhausting days, the “boat people” were rescued and taken to refugee camps.
When Dang was asked where he wanted to live he simply said “America.” He knew he could find freedom there. The people at the refugee camps asked him if he’d ever heard of Elvis Presley. They sent him to Memphis.
“It was very hard for me at first. I didn’t know anybody and I missed my family back home,” recalls Dang. Back in Vietnam, his older brother was captured and sent to a labor camp for more than ten years. “The rest of my family was split up and sent to work in the fields for the communist government. They were being punished because my brother and I were involved in the military.”
Dang got a job and went to school at night. He found support from Memphians who he says are the kindness, most wonderful people he’s ever met. He earned two degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, but his greatest moment came on the day he was sworn in as U.S. citizen. “That day that I proudly waved the American flag and I saw opportunities I had only dreamed of.”
Today Dang is married to a lovely lady named Ly and works as a technical analyst for the City of Germantown.
“I never regret anything that’s happened to me. I’m always reminded of the things I’ve lost, but I’m grateful for everything I’ve gained.”
Dang hopes his story will inspire you to never give up and never underestimate yourself. “Love your country. Never lose sight of the freedom we get to enjoy today.”
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