Last week at a ceremony at Fort Hood, hundreds gathered as soldier Viet Xuan Luong became the first Vietnamese American to reach the rank of general in the United States Army.
Army Promotes First Vietnamese-American General
On Wednesday, Luong received his brigadier general's stars from Fort Hood commander Lt. Gen. Mark Milley. Among the hundreds attending the ceremony were Luong's seven sisters, his mother, wife and three children.
Luong was 10 when he came to the United States with his family as refugees from Vietnam in 1975.
Col. Viet X. Luong was the 1st Cavalry Division deputy commanding general for maneuver and was promoted to brigadier general.
"My deep appreciation goes not only to all those folks, but all the institutions and all the soldiers and leaders I've had throughout the years to made me who I am today," said Brigadier General Luong.
Loung was born in Vietnam, but came to the United States in 1975 as a political refugee when he was 10 with his seven sisters and parents. They boarded the U.S.S Hanckock and went to a refugee camp in Arkansas.
The family later moved to Los Angeles where Luong went to the University of Southern California, graduating with a degree in Biological Sciences and a Master of Military Arts and Science. He started his military career after that.
Luong's service includes deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
More here: Fort Hood celebrates Army’s first Vietnamese-born General