Khuong Huu Ba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bá Hữu Khương (born 1930) was a South Vietnamese High Ranking Navy Leader in the South Vietnam government from 1950 to 1975.
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[edit] Family
Khương is a direct descendant of an aristocrat family (Khương Hữu) in VietNam. Khương is married to Mrs. Lê Ngọc Trần Khương (youngest sister of prominent Attorney-At-Law Trần Ngọc Liễng, well-respected by US. Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy, Vice-Presidential candidate, Minister of HUD and Social Affairs, under Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ ) for over half a century.
[edit] Education
He completed the French Preparatory School Lasan Taberd and earned the French Baccalaureate Diploma with "Prix Excellence" recognition. He attended and graduated from the French established Merchant Marine & French Naval Academy (in Nha Trang, Viet Nam), and the following Post-Graduate schools: U.S. General Line at Monterey, U.S. Naval War College (post graduate studies), and Supreme Defense War College.
[edit] Military service
Under the command of Captain Khương, the Navy ship VN 404 was the very first Vietnamese Navy ship (with an entire Vietnamese crew) to have crossed the Pacific Ocean from the US back to South Vietnam, unescorted.
Having served in several “command-at-sea” positions, Khương was one of the most highly decorated commanding officers in the South Vietnamese Navy to have earned Bão Quốc Huy Chương, đệ IV đẵng (an equivalent to the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor), the South Vietnam Naval Command Medal , 1st class, and Medal of Honor, 1st class.
Khương held the following high ranking "Flag Commanding Officer" positions in the South Vietnamese Navy:
- Supreme Commander of Naval National Coastal Fleet;
- General Chief Inspector of the Navy;
- Superintendent of the South Vietnamese Naval Academy;
- Fourth Coastal Zone Naval Commander & Army Regiment Military Special Zone Commander
These positions report directly to the Chief of Naval Operations, and are normally under the command of flag officers (Commodore and Rear Admiral). Khương, along with several other most senior flag officers and generals of the Armed Forces (one of whom was Air Marshall, later, Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ) signed The Constitution of the first Republic of South Vietnam [otherwise known as Hiến Chương Vuñg Tàu].
[edit] Photos
Bá Hữu Khương Navy Photos
[edit] Life in Exile
After the defeat of South Vietnam by North Vietnam in 1975, Khương commanded a South Vietnamese Naval Fleet and fled to the United States, (he led and returned a significant number of Navy Ships back to US. at the Philippines) and settled in Chicago where he worked as an Office Manager for a jewelry business until his retirement. Khương retired from his Navy career and resides in the United States with his wife and 4 children.
[edit] Quotes
- "Impossible is not in my Dictionary."
- "Prolonging the war is Training Your Enemy"
- "Failure is the Mother of Success."
