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.

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

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