Quang X. Pham

Quang Pham, a Vietnamese American, was born in 1964, in Saigon, South Vietnam. He is a business owner, Marine Corps veteran, author and community leader who has lived in Orange County, California since 1990. Pham was running for Congress in the 47th Congressional District to defeat Loretta Sanchez.

Early life
During the invasion of South Vietnam by the Communist North Vietnamese Army, Quang, his three sisters, and his mother left their ancestral homeland, while the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was defending their country and its capital city of Saigon. His father, Hoa Van Pham, a member of the South Vietnamese Air Force, remained in South Vietnam and was captured by the North Vietnamese Army while he was supporting the Republic of Vietnam, resulting in his twelve years in re-education/prison camps.

Quang and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in California.

Education
Quang graduated from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and he went on to complete Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1986.

Military service
He was the first Vietnamese American to earn naval aviator's wings in the U.S. Marine Corps and flew CH-46 helicopter missions in the Persian Gulf War.

Civilian life
He is a renowned author and wrote, A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam to America.

In 2000, he founded Lathian Systems, a pharmaceutical promotions company, raised $14 million from investors, and was chairman and CEO. D&R Communications acquired Lathian in 2012. He has served on the boards of the Marines Memorial Association, Orange County Forum, and Chapman University Business School Board of Advisers.

Quotes

 * "Now talk of exiting the war in Iraq has increased. What will happen to the Iraqis who believed in us? Will we let them down too?"