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Memorial Keepers(1)
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Brittaney Vargas
Đông's Grandchild
Đông Quang Phạm
January 21st, 1940 - September 5th, 2024
January 21st, 1940 - September 5th, 2024
Larger than life...
Đông Phạm was truly a one of a kind human being. In his 84 years of life, he experienced so much hardship, and yet always persevered. Twice in his life he was forced to flee his homeland. Once as a child, and then again as an adult and a father of 5. Đông was a captain in the South Vietnamese Navy. On April 30, 1975, during the Fall of Saigon, he saved a couple hundred lives by taking his family and dozens of other families onto his gunboat and out to sea. It was a huge risk, but it paid off, as they eventually made it onto the USS Midway. The Midway took him, his wife Vân Anh, and their children to Guam, where they reunited with Đông's father. After spending months in Guam, Đông and his family were flown to Hawaii and then to California, arriving to Camp Pendleton on September 10, 1975. They would later settle in Beaumont, CA and build a new life there.
Đông was a proud man and could be quite stubborn. But he was also humble and had an incredible work ethic. Although he was a well educated military officer, he never hesitated to do whatever job, from janitor to chicken farm worker, to provide for his family. He took pride in all that he did. This was especially evident in his garden. He took meticulous care of his fruit trees and found joy in sharing his persimmons, pomegranates, oranges, and more with his family and friends. Although he was not a man of many words, he led by example and showed his love through his actions. He appreciated the simple things in life, like fishing, camping, and watching the Lakers and every possible soccer game on TV. Although he had plenty of hardship, his life was filled with love. He especially enjoyed spending time with his wife, their 6 children, 13 grandchildren and 1 great grand baby. Đông was larger than life, and surely we will not meet another like him in this lifetime.
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Brittaney Vargas
My Ông Ngoại was born in 1940, the year of the metal dragon. In our culture, dragons symbolize strength, resiliency, and prosperity. They are thought of as guardians and protectors. A few days ago, my family lost our metal dragon. In his 84 years of life, he experienced so much hardship, and yet always persevered. Twice in his life he was forced to flee his homeland. Once as a child, and then again as an adult and a father of 5. Ông Ngoại was a captain in the South Vietnamese Navy. During the Fall of Saigon, he saved a couple hundred lives by taking his family and dozens of other families onto his gunboat and out to sea. It was a huge risk, but it paid off, as they eventually made it onto the USS Midway. Like a true dragon, my grandfather was proud and stubborn as hell. But he was also humble and had an incredible work ethic. Arriving to the US with his family and just the clothes on their backs, he worked whatever jobs he could, from being a janitor to a chicken farm worker, to provide for my mom and her siblings. Ông Ngoại could be scary, and didn’t give a đụ má about what people thought about him. But he was also kind and loving. He taught me to write and drive. He would buy us bicycles from the swap meet and paint them whatever color we wanted. He even got me my first puppy. When I graduated college, he was so proud that he hung my diploma up in his little office. When I was pregnant with Jade, I hoped that my grandpa would live long enough to meet her. But after she was born so early, I had to hope that she would live long enough to meet him. They finally met on Tết. I’m so grateful he got to spend time with Jade. In our last visit with him, he told me that now he knew that Jade was going to be okay. It was the last conversation we ever had. Two weeks later he passed on September 5th in the year of the dragon, 2024. My heart is broken, but grateful that he found peace in his old age. He left behind my Bà Ngoại, 6 kids, 13 grandchildren, and 1 great grand baby. I love you, Ông Ngoại. Cảm ơn for everything.
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