Did you know that Vietnamese American refugees serve in the United States military? Here’s Lt. Col. Lan Dalat’s story.
“It has been a long road to becoming a Lieutenant Colonel, especially as an Asian American. I get asked a lot of questions: How did you become an officer? Were you born in the United States? What I can say is that I have had to work much harder to achieve the level of respect and achievement that I have today.”
Today, over 65,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders serve in the United States military. In fact, the story of AAPIs in service has been seen at every turn: at the birth of the nation, during the Civil War, in both World Wars, and current-day conflicts.
This story was originally published in 2018 via AARP x NextDayBetter storytelling campaign.
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