Bonham -- When the staff of Tarrant County Commissioner Andy H. Nguyen heard he was considering coming to Bonham to give a speech to U.S. veterans about the significance of his Asian heritage, staff members asked if the busy county commissioner could really afford to drive two hours for this appointment.
After all, as one of four commissioners, Nguyen represents the interests of 1.8 million Tarrant County residents.
"Our veterans fought for what we have right now," Commissioner Nguyen thoughtfully replied. "I can drive to Bonham."
The Tarrant County Commissioner was the keynote speaker Wednesday as Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center celebrated diversity by honoring those of Asian/Pacific Islander descent.
"I can't even imagine how busy he must be," said a grateful Deloris Clemons, Bonham VA Center administrative services manager.
Ms. Clemons welcomed the audience to an event that included dance and food embraced by Asian culture.
"Our strength as a nation resides in the heart and spirit of our people," remarked Clemons, adding that Asian Americans have made significant contributions to the U.S. armed forces, as well as to the nation as a whole. "America is safer and our nation is stronger because of their service."
More than 300,000 Asian Americans have proudly worn this country's uniform, including Army Lt. Andy Nguyen.
Rural Texans are fond of saying that no one misses the water until the well runs dry. Commissioner Nguyen was in Bonham to remind listeners that the same is true for freedom. He grew up in a relatively affluent family Vietnamese and his father was a banker, but suddenly everything was gone when the Viet Cong seized control and imprisoned Nguyen's father for the preposterous charge of financing the war between North Viet Nam and South Viet Nam. Years later, once the family patriarch managed to get out of prison, the Nguyen family chose to undertake a perilous journey by boat in the open sea rather than to live under the persecution of a communist regime.
Losing all freedom taught Nguyen it's true value to the human condition.
"Freedom is as essential to life as oxygen and water," Nguyen says now.
The family arrived in Covington, Kentucky in 1981 and Nguyen soon found himself failing to grasp English and history in school because of being so quickly immersed in U.S. culture, but he found solace in the fact that he excelled in algebra and geometry.
"No matter what culture you are in, math is the same," Nguyen told the crowd in Bonham May 15.
Nguyen would go on to found his own IT business and carve out his own American Dream in a land where people value diversity and individual freedom, although he will always cherish his Asian heritage.
"It doesn't matter what culture you come from, if you don't have the freedom to celebrate that culture, you are not free," stated Nguyen. "To be a true American, you have to respect liberty even when you disagree. I'm an Asian American and while I think it is critically important that we respect the adjective, we cannot lose sight of the noun, of the common denominator that binds us together -- we are Americans. There was a time when Asians were rounded up and being African was almost a crime, but being an American means working past injustice in search of a better future."
What advice would he offer our nation's leaders today?
"We all want better jobs and prosperity," Nguyen said. "It is time to focus on the commonality and move past the bickering."
And what advice did the Tarrant County Precinct 2 Commissioner offer to employees at Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham?
"Take care of the people who took care of us," he stated.
After the keynote speech, Bonham VA employees were treated to a dance performance and then the crowd had an opportunity to visit with Commissioner Nguyen while everyone sampled Asian cuisine consisting of lumpia Shanghai and pancit.
