We the People

>> Lt. Col. Vinni Nguyen: My name is Lieutenant Colonel Vinny Nguyen, and I serve in the United States army. I've been on active duty for 20 years and currently serve as the national security affairs fellow at the Hoover Institution. We the people is one of the most famous phrases in the United States of America.

It speaks to the idea that power originates not from the states or the federal government, but from the people and their consent, an idea that, sadly, is rarely recognized in most parts of the world. As my mother raised my older brother and sister in our coastal village of Danang, my father served in the army of the Republic of Vietnam.

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, he experienced the harsh reality of becoming a political prisoner, enduring re education and forced labor camps. Following years of torment in the camps, my father transitioned to a work release program. In 1981, my family escaped off the beaches of Danang on small fishing boats bound for sanctuary in Hong Kong, where I was later born.

We eventually immigrated to the United States, settling in Stockton, California. Even our new home, the remnants of war, were unmistakable. We became a part of a community of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, where the shared experiences of conflict and displacement were a common thread among us. When I reflect back on my childhood, it's like looking into a world I only half understood.

My parents carried a silent strength I couldn't grasp as a kid. They worked endlessly to give us a their children, a life they could only dream of. Growing up, I was aware of their sacrifices, but didn't truly understand them. It wasn't until 2006, when I was in the Alwan bar province, that I finally understood the gravity of their sacrifice and relentless perseverance.

In the eyes of the Iraqi people, I saw a resilience that echoed that of my parents. They had the weight of untold hardship and tyranny, yet their spirits were undimmed in the unwavering pursuit of a better life for their families. I saw in them the same simple, universal values my parents shared.

The innate desire to live freely and raise a family without fear of violent oppression, values that have led countless people to immigrate to and become citizens of the United States of America. It was then that we the people became more than a patriotic refrain or reference to the origins of governmental power.

It was immediately personal. It was about who the people of the United States are and what it means to be an American. To be an American has nothing to do with ethnicity, political affiliation, or place of origin. To be American means shared core values like liberty, justice, and opportunity to pursue our lives and to raise our families in freedom and security.

This all became clear when I became a father myself. After my wife gave birth to our twins, I understood the enormity of what my parents did and what drove them to pursue a better life for us at all costs. I understood the depth of their love and the fear they must certainly have had to bring us into an unfamiliar world.

My experience has not only deepened my respect and gratitude for my parents, but has also shaped the way I raised my own children. It is vital for them to understand where they come from and the resilience of their grandparents. It is equally vital for them to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities they have here, things my parents could only dream of.

Now I see myself not just as a refugee, but as a bridge between my past and my children's future. I'm weaving together the threads of two cultures and two histories into something new and beautiful for my kids. It's a legacy of resilience, hope, and love that crosses oceans and generations and, in my experience, exemplifies we the people of the United States.