Earlier this month in Minneapolis, 63-year-old Fang Wong of East Brunswick, New Jersey was elected National Commander of the American Legion, a mutual-aid organization representing veterans and service members of the United States armed forces, with a membership numbering 2.4 million.Wong, a Chinese immigrant who served in the Vietnam War as a Chinese language expert, is the Legion's first-ever Asian American National Commander: Chinese immigrant Vietnam War vet Fang Wong becomes head of American Legion veterans association.
"I feel humble and honored," said Wong, 63, a gray-haired Vietnam vet with an easy smile. "I really don't feel different. I'm still me - I want to do my utmost to help however I can."Each national commander serves a one-year term, after which a new one is elected at The American Legion's national convention. For more information on Fang Wong, read his full bio at The American Legion website here.
During the Vietnam War, that meant working undercover for the Army as a Chinese language expert. Later, in New York, it meant helping Chinatown recover from the upheaval of 9/11.
Now that Wong is the legion's first-ever Asian-American National Commander, it means lobbying President Obama to create jobs for soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The unemployment rate for returning veterans is 28%," he said. "We need the government sector and the private sector to understand that when you hire a veteran you get a very good employee."
