Viet Xuan Luong

Viet Xuan Luong
MG Luong Commanding General for United States Army, Japan/I Corps Forward.
Born (1965-07-26) July 26, 1965
Bien Hoa, South Vietnam
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1987–present
Rank Major General
Commands held Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Commander, Train Advise Assist Command – South
3rd Brigade Combat Team (Rakkasans), 101st Airborne Division
United States Army, Japan
Awards Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge

Viet Xuan Luong (Vietnamese: Lương Xuân Việt) is a United States Army Major General. He is the first American officer promoted to flag rank who was born in Vietnam.[1] Currently, he is the Commanding General for United States Army, Japan/I Corps Forward. He previously served as the Deputy Commanding General (Operations), Eighth Army. His prior assignments included chief of staff of United States Army Central; Director of Joint and Integration, Headquarters Department of the Army, G-8; assistant division commander–maneuver for the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, concurrent with assignment as commander, Train Advise Assist Command – South, Resolute Support Mission Joint Command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Afghanistan.

Early life

His father was a Major in the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division. On 29 April 1975 he and his family were evacuated from Tan Son Nhat International Airport during Operation Frequent Wind landing on the USS Hancock. He and his family were brought to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas as part of Operation New Arrivals.[2]

Luong earned his commission via the ROTC program upon graduating from the University of Southern California in 1987.[3][4]

Education

He earned a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern California and a Master of Military Arts and Science.[5]

Assignments

His first assignment was with 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he served as Rifle Platoon Leader, Anti-Tank Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Maintenance Officer.

In 1993, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and served in the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, as the Battalion Assistant S-3 (Operations) and Commander of Alpha Company. While commanding Alpha Company, he deployed to Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy as the Commander of the Theater Quick Reaction Force. Following his assignment at Fort Bragg, he was assigned to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk as an Observer Controller.

Following his assignment at JRTC, he attended the Command and General Staff College and then was assigned to the Southern European Task Force (SETAF). Luong served as SETAF G-3 Chief of Plans, and the Operations Officer and Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade, in Vicenza, Italy. During his assignment at Southern European Task Force, Luong deployed to Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina on several occasions as part of the NATO Strategic Response Force.[6]

Following this assignment, he was assigned to Joint Task Force North at Fort Bliss, where he served as a plans officer and Chief, Targeting and Exploitation Division. In 2005, he assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. During this command, Luong deployed his battalion in September 2005 as the Division Ready Force 1, in support of Operation American Assist, the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts in New Orleans, and Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08, in support of the War on Terror.[7]

In February 2009, he assumed command of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Rakkasans), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). In January 2010, 3rd BCT deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom 10-11. Following BCT command, Luong attended Stanford University as a National Security Fellow and subsequently served as the Deputy Director, Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell, J5, The Joint Staff.[8]

In 2015, Luong was assigned as Director, Joint and Integration at the Office of the US Army Chief of Staff for Force Development, G-8. [9]

In March 2016, Luong was announced for assignment as chief of staff at United States Army Central.[10]

In May 2017, Luong was announced as the next Deputy Commanding General (Operations), Eighth Army, United States Forces Korea.[11]

He was promoted to major general in June 2018 and assumed command of U.S. Army Japan in August 2018.[12][13]

Decorations and awards

Luong's personal awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New one-star is U.S. military's first general born in Vietnam". Army Times. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Frightened Vietnamese Kid Who Became A U.S. Army General". NPR. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Viet X. Luong: The South Vietnamese Kid Who Grew Up to Be a U.S. Army General
  4. ↑ "Fort Hood's Luong to become first Vietnamese-American general". Statesman.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "DVIDS - News - First Team's general makes history, pins star". DVIDS. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Ft. Hood Colonel Becomes First Vietnamese-American promoted to General". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Col. is 1st Vietnamese-American BCT commander". Army Times. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Colonel Cites Measurable, But Fragile, Afghan Progress: Army Family 101 & Brat Life 101 – Fort Campbell, KY". Armyfamily101.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8 | Leadership". www.g8.army.mil. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  10. ↑ "Release No: NR-088-16: General Officer Assignments" (Press release). Washington, DC: United States Department of Defense. Press Operations. March 15, 2016.
  11. ↑ "General Officer Assignments". Department of Defense. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Eighth Army Korea (June 21, 2018). "Congratulations to newly promoted Maj. Gen. Viet X. Luong". Facebook.com.
  13. ↑ "Maj. Gen. Luong takes command of U.S. Army Japan; Maj. Gen. Pasquarette to become Army G-8". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.