I waited today, for some unknown reason, to make a Independence post. I have just discovered why. My brother-in-law, Don, sent me a wonderful speech. I was waiting for this...Thank you, Don.
To all the men and women who have served or are serving, THANK YOU. Not only do we, as a nation United under God, owe our independence to many, other countries have been aided by this nation, too.
VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANT
On Saturday, July 24th, 2010 the town of Prescott Valley, AZ, hosted a Freedom Rally. Quang Nguyen was asked to speak on his experience of coming to America and what it means. He spoke the following in dedication to all Vietnam Veterans. Thought you might enjoy hearing what he had to say:
35 years ago, if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking to a couple thousand patriots, in English, I'd laugh at you. Man, every morning I wake up thanking God for putting me and my family in the greatest country on earth.
I just want you all to know that the American dream does exist and I am living the American dream. I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese- American, but I'd rather speak to you as an American.
If you hadn't noticed, I am not white and I feel pretty comfortable with my people.
I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof. It took me 8 years to get it, waiting in endless lines, but I got it and I am very proud of it.
I still remember the images of the Tet offensive in 1968, I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a 6-year-old boy could remember anything. Trust me; those images can never be erased. I can't even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting on my behalf.
35 years ago, I left South Vietnam for political asylum. The war had ended. At the age of 13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my siblings or parents again. I was one of the first lucky 100,000 Vietnamese allowed to come to the US. Somehow, my family and I were reunited 5 months later, amazingly, in California. It was a miracle from God.
If you haven't heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, I am telling you that right now. It was the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way. My high school counselor told me that I cannot make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished college. You see, all you have to do is to give this little boy an opportunity and encourage him to take and run with it. Well, I took the opportunity and here I am.
This person standing tonight in front of you could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one-way ticket out of here. And if you didn't know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aimed at your head. That was my experience.
In 1982, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to the National Anthem for the first time as an American. To this day, I can't remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life.
Fast forwarding, somehow I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life. I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California. In some way and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I was here.
One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I don't know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam. He smiled and said yes. I shook and held his hand. The grown man began to well up. I walked away as fast as I could and at that very moment, I was emotionally rocked. This was a profound moment in my life. I knew something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give back.
You see, America is not a place on the map, it isn't a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept. And if you are an American, you must understand the concept, you must buy into this concept, and most importantly, you have to fight and defend this concept. This is about Freedom and not free stuff. And that is why I am standing up here.
Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen if you can't speak the language of the country you live in. Take this document of 46 pages - last I looked on the Internet, there wasn't a Vietnamese translation of the US Constitution. It took me a long time to get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with the right words. It's not easy, but if it's too easy, it's not worth doing.
Before I knew this 46-page document, I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little boy. I learned of the 58,000 names scribed on the black wall at the Vietnam Memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders.
At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and liberty I have today. I now ask all veterans, firefighters, and police officers, to please stand. On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your services and may God bless you all.
Quang Nguyen
Creative Director/Founder
Caddis Advertising, LLC
Showing posts with label American Dream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Dream. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2011
Friday, July 30, 2010
Just My Opinion...WARNING: RANT
I may be sticking my neck out just to get it chopped off. The nice thing about America, I can offer you my figurative neck and you can figuratively chop it off...and that's okay. In my America, opinions are okay and allowable. There is no such animal as political correctness. We have ridden this horse too long! Why have we become a nation that is so afraid to voice our opinion that we are becoming yes men with no voice of our own???
The subject is the influx of illegal aliens and Arizona's right to enforce an federally mandated law and my opinion on that subject.
I may not have all the facts straight but that is what opinions are basically about...a comment on what you know of a subject. I personally try to arm myself with information before I feel I can adequately state an opinion. If I am wrong on that, please point it out. Speak up people, this is your America!!!
It seems the federal government is suing Arizona about the state's right to enforce an immigration law that is established. My first question is how can the federal government condemn the enforcement of their own law?
Can anyone say the state has no right to decide who enters the country through the corridor of their state? This is a law and they choose to enforce it. It is not racial profiling. There is a problem here. We are required as American people to carry identity with us. Our driver's licence is a must for daily living and if that is not available we have state issued ids. Many companies require additional id to enter the area of employment. We are a nation that runs on identification.
Would I be upset if I were asked to show ID because I am blue-eyed...yes. Would I be upset when my neighbor is killed by people coming into our country uninvited...yes. Would I be upset when my family land is so trashed by trespassers that I can't even use said land...yes. Would I be upset that my own children cannot find employment because of the use of illegal aliens...yes. Would I be upset that same said aliens received government assistance and far better housing than I can afford working two jobs...yes.
Please do not misunderstand. We are a nation of immigrants and should be proud of that. My own ancestors not four generations back came through Ellis Island proudly. They worked hard, they learned English, they obeyed the laws and had a dream. They became Americans...not Irish-Americans, not English-Americans, not African-Americans, not any hyphenated Americans in the bunch. They simply became Americans. And that, my people, if you haven't figured it out, is the way it is supposed to be.
Leave Arizona alone! They are only enforcing a law that is in place. I have a suggestion, if Arizona is so bad, MOVE.
I will apologize in advance for those I have offended, not for the act of offending but rather for hurting your feelings. I am not very good at being politically correct. Many of you may be surprised that this farmer's daughter has a political opinion. I have always been taught that if you can't say anything nice, keep your mouth shut. I have also been taught to be a proud American and stand up for what I believe.
GO ARIZONA!!!!!! LET US TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The subject is the influx of illegal aliens and Arizona's right to enforce an federally mandated law and my opinion on that subject.
I may not have all the facts straight but that is what opinions are basically about...a comment on what you know of a subject. I personally try to arm myself with information before I feel I can adequately state an opinion. If I am wrong on that, please point it out. Speak up people, this is your America!!!
It seems the federal government is suing Arizona about the state's right to enforce an immigration law that is established. My first question is how can the federal government condemn the enforcement of their own law?
Can anyone say the state has no right to decide who enters the country through the corridor of their state? This is a law and they choose to enforce it. It is not racial profiling. There is a problem here. We are required as American people to carry identity with us. Our driver's licence is a must for daily living and if that is not available we have state issued ids. Many companies require additional id to enter the area of employment. We are a nation that runs on identification.
Would I be upset if I were asked to show ID because I am blue-eyed...yes. Would I be upset when my neighbor is killed by people coming into our country uninvited...yes. Would I be upset when my family land is so trashed by trespassers that I can't even use said land...yes. Would I be upset that my own children cannot find employment because of the use of illegal aliens...yes. Would I be upset that same said aliens received government assistance and far better housing than I can afford working two jobs...yes.
Please do not misunderstand. We are a nation of immigrants and should be proud of that. My own ancestors not four generations back came through Ellis Island proudly. They worked hard, they learned English, they obeyed the laws and had a dream. They became Americans...not Irish-Americans, not English-Americans, not African-Americans, not any hyphenated Americans in the bunch. They simply became Americans. And that, my people, if you haven't figured it out, is the way it is supposed to be.
Leave Arizona alone! They are only enforcing a law that is in place. I have a suggestion, if Arizona is so bad, MOVE.
I will apologize in advance for those I have offended, not for the act of offending but rather for hurting your feelings. I am not very good at being politically correct. Many of you may be surprised that this farmer's daughter has a political opinion. I have always been taught that if you can't say anything nice, keep your mouth shut. I have also been taught to be a proud American and stand up for what I believe.
GO ARIZONA!!!!!! LET US TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The American Dream Part Two
The Seventies ended the draft, started my family and my career.
Our parents' dream was that we did better than they. We were educated, pumped with ethics and sent out to conquer the world.
It was a time when your parents' name was your credentials. Their name got your jobs, your home and your first line of credit.
The Seventies, when computers were still a wonder, veterans were coming home to hate instead of fanfare and pot was the entertainment choice.
Our heroes changed from Audy Murphy to Abbey Hoffman.
What had gone before us shaped our life as it had our parents.
From The Mills Brothers to the Bellamy Brothers to the Doobey Brothers, the music sang our differences.
Armed with the "wisdom" of youth, we proceeded to change our world.
We reared our children with loving guidance and not with an iron hand.
We conducted our business using vast lines of credit.
We demonstrated free speech and free countrydom while barring ourselves into defined consumer cages we could not escape.
We, like our parents, touted education and dreamed our children would do better than we.
Ahhh! The American Dream!
Our parents' dream was that we did better than they. We were educated, pumped with ethics and sent out to conquer the world.
It was a time when your parents' name was your credentials. Their name got your jobs, your home and your first line of credit.
The Seventies, when computers were still a wonder, veterans were coming home to hate instead of fanfare and pot was the entertainment choice.
Our heroes changed from Audy Murphy to Abbey Hoffman.
What had gone before us shaped our life as it had our parents.
From The Mills Brothers to the Bellamy Brothers to the Doobey Brothers, the music sang our differences.
Armed with the "wisdom" of youth, we proceeded to change our world.
We reared our children with loving guidance and not with an iron hand.
We conducted our business using vast lines of credit.
We demonstrated free speech and free countrydom while barring ourselves into defined consumer cages we could not escape.
We, like our parents, touted education and dreamed our children would do better than we.
Ahhh! The American Dream!
The American Dream
Born in 1954, I was not in full bloom for the sixties.
Only sixteen when they ended, I did not get to experience the Sixties Revolution fully. I did know Flower Power, Free Love, Make Love Not War, and Peace.
I did not protest the war that continued. I was the daughter of a WWII veteran and was taught soldiers and daughters followed orders. I also lost friends and knew no cause could be worth that loss.
My children swear I was at Woodstock but like Charlton Heston in "Alpha and Omega Man", I had watched the film 'til I knew it by heart.
If asked, I believe I was born in the best of times. A time when the American Dream was still a possibility. A time when honesty and hard work got you anywhere.
My double advantage was to have parents that knew the Depression. Not only did integrity and hard work guarantee success, I had the knowledge to "make do"
Armed with all this how could I not obtain the American Dream?
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