Brigadier General Danielle Ngo – A Symbol of the New Generation Honoring the ARVN Legacy

                                     

A Harrowing Escape from War:

· Escaped from Saigon on April 29, 1975, through Tan Son Nhat Airport amidst heavy shelling by North Vietnamese forces.

· Spent time in refugee camps: Wake Island, Hawaii, Arkansas, before settling in Melrose, a suburb of Boston.

· Her mother, Thai An, a single parent, overcame hardship to raise her daughters, eventually earning a master’s degree and working as a librarian.



From Refugee to the Highest-Ranking Vietnamese-American Woman in the U.S. Army:

· Danielle enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 as a surgical technician.

· After earning a finance degree, she became an engineer officer, serving in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

· She was part of the 4th Infantry Division credited with capturing Saddam Hussein and later commanded the 130th Engineer Brigade.

· Today, she is the highest-ranking active-duty woman of Vietnamese descent in the U.S. military, second only to Major General Viet Xuan Luong.

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Family Values and National Service:

· Her sister, Lan Dinh, also graduated from West Point, served seven years, worked for Bank of America, and now teaches in Bangkok.

· Her uncle, Professor Ngo Vinh Long—who sponsored the family to the U.S.—was the first Vietnamese student to attend Harvard directly.

· Danielle emphasizes "repaying America"—the country that gave her refuge—and hopes to inspire more Asian Americans to join the military.



An Asian-American Leadership Model:

· Deeply respected by her troops for listening and caring. She often invited soldiers home for Thanksgiving dinners.

· She lives by the legacy of her mother and grandfather—who named her “Nhu Nguyen,” meaning “wish come true” in Vietnamese.