[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 73 (Friday, April 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E567-E568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF NHON H.T. NGUYEN

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. ALAN S. LOWENTHAL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 28, 2017

  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, after a life of service to both the 
Republic of Vietnam and to the Vietnamese American community in 
Southern California, Nhon H.T. Nguyen passed away April 18, 2017 at the 
age of 91.
  Nhon was born in 1927 in Hue, Vietnam. She joined the military 
finance administration in 1950 and transferred to service at the Nguyen 
Tri Phuong Military Hospital in Hue in 1957, where she was eventually 
promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant.
  It was during her service at the hospital that she witnessed the 
sacrifices and loss of disabled soldiers, which motivated her to 
dedicate her life to serve disabled veterans, war widows, and children 
of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam.
  In 1967, Nhon transferred to the Women Military Institute and 
Training Center, where she rose to the rank of Captain and was 
appointed to serving in the Women Military Bureau at the Joint General 
Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam. Two years later, 
she was promoted to the rank of Major and named as the Head of the 
Research Department. In 1972, she transferred to the Republic of 
Vietnam Air Force and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
  In early 1975, she was honored by the Republic of Vietnam with the 
Knight Decoration of the National Order of Vietnam (De Ngu Dang Bao 
Quoc Huan Chuong) for her twenty-five years of service to the armed 
forces.
  Following the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the Communist 
government imprisoned her in numerous ``re-education camps'' such as 
Long Giao, Quang Trung, Hoc Mon, Z30D, Ham Tan, and Long Thanh, where 
she was forced to perform harsh labor for four years.
  In 1990, Nhon and her family resettled in the United States under the 
HO2 program (Humanitarian Operation), and they have been living in 
Orange County, California since.
  Shortly after arriving in the United States, she joined the Former 
Political Prisoners Mutual Assistance Association, providing help to 
resettle South Vietnam veterans to the U.S.
  In 1996, she joined the Republic of Vietnam Disabled Veterans and 
Widows Relief Association as the Secretary General. After a decade of 
service, she was unanimously elected President of the organization by 
all its members in 2006.

[[Page E568]]

  Under her leadership as President, the RVN Disabled Veterans and 
Widows Relief Association, in partnership with SBTN and Asia 
Entertainment, organized a total of ten ``Cam On Anh'' Benefit 
Concerts, with all of the proceeds going toward assisting disabled 
South Vietnam veterans, widows and their children who are still in 
Vietnam.
  Along with her lifelong career of military and charitable service, 
Nhon was an outstanding Vietnamese Girl Scout and a Scout Leader, 
joining Girl Scouting in 1941.
  Despite the difficult circumstances during the war and being in 
military service, she always lived her life embodying the Scouting 
values and helping younger Scouts whenever necessary.
  She also became a founding member and advisor in 2004 of the Lang 
Bach Hop Quang Te Scouters Association of Southern California.
  For her merits and contributions to the Vietnamese Scouting Movement, 
the International Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting awarded Nhon 
the Bach Hop Medal in 2012 and the Bac Dau Medal in 2016--the two 
highest awards given by the organization.
  When asked in a 2011 interview what motivated her to continue her 
volunteer work to support disabled RVN veterans in Vietnam, she said 
``I feel happy when I am able to join the Vietnamese community and 
organizations in organizing the Cam On Anh Benefit Concert because of 
the fraternal love and brotherhood. As soldiers, that sentiment is very 
strong. I imagine the happy moment when they receive our assistance, 
when their children have a little bit more to eat, to wear, and their 
family feels a little bit more warmhearted when they see fellow 
compatriots overseas are still thinking of them and their sacrifices.''
  Nhon is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great 
grandchildren.

                          ____________________