Commander Hung ba Le featured on ABC World news , Person of the Week

Left Vietnam as a Refugee, Returns as a U.S. Navy Captain

Hung Ba Le's first ocean voyage was aboard an overcrowded fishing trawler when he was 5 and his family and hundreds of other terrified refugees fled Vietnam as Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese army.
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Commander Le was rescued by a Navy ship after fleeing Vietnam at the age of 5.

Today he is Commander Le and at the helm of the warship USS Lassen as it makes a good will visit to the country he once fled.

"To think that 34 years ago I left here as a little boy and to come back here now, it's incredible," said Le, the first ever Vietnamese-American Navy captain.

At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Saigon was falling. Thousands fled the country in boats.

Five-year-old Le, his family and 400 other refugees crammed aboard a fishing trawler. Le's father, Thong Ba Le, was a commander in the South Vietnamese Navy and helped navigate the boat.

"It was crowded, we were running out of water, definitely low on diesel fuel," said Le. "We were rescued I think just in time."

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[jeromaine21]

This guy's a dick. He's ruining the moral of everyone on board. I mean it started with CMD Brown who was alright, but two A-hole skippers later and the USS Lassen continues it's highest attrition rate streak in 7th fleet for a few more years. No big deal.

And no that's not what the golden anchor is really awarded for. It's given to ships with a certain percent of re-enlistments. But since most considering not re-enlisting are leaving before they're even up for RE, it skews the numbers.

[dondean55]

Now, VC start to realize China is Vietnamese's enemy, not America. If VC saw things like that in early 1960s, the VN war never happened, millions lives would be saved. Vietnam could be strong like South Korea by now. It's VC's policy that made Vietnam became ruins, constantly at war in the last 60 years. There will be another 100 years at war with China. I feel sorry for 85 millions Vietnamese people who constantly to carry the harship that stupid Hanoi warmonger put it on their shoulders.

[lucirz]

very nice

[maverick4ever11]

Very true. I only stated the case because I saw another 0-6 on the background of the interview. So, I thought he was the XO. But it's even more proud to have a Vietnamese in that position.

[ttqqhoang]

Actually, when you are the commanding officer of a US navy vessel, you are considered the "captain" or

"skipper" of that vessel.

[maverick4ever11]

not to discredit my fellow Vietnamese bro, but Commander HUNG is not a Captain, yet. Still, it's a great day to be Vietnamese.