Minh Van Dang

Colonel Minh Van Dang was born on April 7, 1922, in Con Son, Vietnam. His Father Dang Van Chanh was a nurse on Con Son Island; his mother Nguyen Thi Khuyen was a homemaker. He had six brothers and sisters. Minh received his French Baccalaureate Degree in Philosophy from the Lycee Petrus Ky in Saigon, Vietnam. He was Chief of the Special Branch of the South Vietnamese National Police in Vietnam (CSQG). Prior to his service as Chief of Police, he was also Regional Director (supervising over 17,000 policemen) and Principal Commissioner of the CSQG. He was closely associated with advisors from the American Embassy in Saigon. His experiences related to matters such as security, intelligence, counterintelligence, and law enforcement. He received training at the International Police Academy in Washington, D.C. Minh fled to the Saigon harbor with his American advisor and boarded a boat as the conquering troops entered the city of Saigon on April 30, 1975. His wife Nga T. Nguyen worked as an executive assistant for the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam. She and their two children Kim Hoan and Kim Anh fled by airplane the day before. Minh’s children Tien and Kim Chi from a former marriage also escaped Vietnam. He reunited with them in Guam and flew to the United States. Minh was later joined by daughters Anh and Oanh, who were already residing in the U.S. Minh was 56 years old when he arrived in the United States. Inasmuch as he enjoyed his police field, he had to find a different job, due to police physical requirements in the U.S. Minh’s wife realized how difficult it was for others in his field to acquire jobs. Luckily for Minh, his wife had been hired as a case manager at the Diocese of Arlington but she was unable to work on one particular day. She asked Minh to take her place, and he remained with the Diocese of Arlington for 18 years. Minh continued to work as senior case manager in the Office of Migration and Refugee Resettlement of the Diocese of Arlington. He helped find sponsors for refugee families among church members and mediated family disputes. He also managed the Indochina Cooperative Services (under the auspices of the U.S. Catholic Conference (USCC)). He later became the Vietnamese Community Service representative of the Diocese. He was loyal to his employer and devoted to his work. He assisted hundreds of his countrymen and refugees from other nations adjust to a new life in the U.S. Minh enjoyed gardening, going to church, listening to music, and spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren in his retirement years. His compassion towards veterans, people with disabilities--generally anyone in need--was evident through his charitable contributions. Minh passed peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. Family and friends will always remember Minh as a quiet, unassuming man, a true gentleman; a man with an infectious smile; a man who brought joy to others. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He had an amazing journey, a righteous life directed by his unwavering core values. Minh was truly a faithful servant to the Lord.