Pham, Quang X. 1965(?)–

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Pham, Quang X. 1965(?)–

PERSONAL: Born c. 1965; son of Pham Van Hoa (a fighter pilot) and Nguyen Thi Niem; immigrated to United States, 1975; naturalized U.S. citizen, 1984; married, wife's name Shannon. Education: Graduated from University of California, Los Angeles; attended University of California, Irvine, c. 1999.

ADDRESSES: Home—CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Ballantine Books, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Businessperson, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and writer. AstraMerck (pharmaceutical company), sales representative, 1994–c. 98; Genentech (pharmaceutical company), sales representative, 1998–99; MyDrugRep.com (pharmaceutical marketing company), founder, chief executive officer, and president, c. 2000; QTC Medical Services (medical disability company), vice president and general manager; Lathian Systems (pharmaceutical solutions company), founder and chief executive officer. Has appeared as a guest on television and radio networks. Military service: U.S. Marines, c. 1988–95, helicopter pilot in Gulf War, 1991, in Operation Desert Shield, in Operation Desert Storm, and in Somalia; became captain. Marine Reserves, 1997–; became major.

WRITINGS:

A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey (memoir), Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Also contributor to Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Orange County Register, and Washington Times.

SIDELIGHTS: In Quang X. Pham's memoir A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey the author offers his point of view on the Vietnam War and his immigrant experience in the United States. Pham describes his early life in Vietnam, where his father was a South Vietnamese military hero, his immigration to the United States, and his own experience in the U.S. military. Writing in Sea Power, David M. Munns commented that A Sense of Duty "is a truly arresting memoir…. The emotions infused in Pham's character are expressed in unapologetic terms, filled with controversial insight into his life and the conflict that divided Vietnam, and, in many ways, America."

Pham was born during the Vietnam War and his father, Pham Van Hoa, served as an officer and pilot in the South Vietnamese Air Force which worked in support of the U.S. military. While Pham was still a small child, his father moved Pham, Pham's mother, and Pham's three sisters to the United States. Though Pham's father intended to join them, he was imprisoned by the communists following the war and held in reeducation camps for twelve years. One part of A Sense of Duty focuses on Pham's complex relationship with his father. Raised without the man's physical presence, Pham was nonetheless greatly influenced by the idea of the elder Pham.

In the book, Pham does not idealize his experiences as a refugee in the United States. He describes what it felt like to grow up in Los Angeles, the struggles his family went through, and how long it took to assimilate. After earning his undergraduate degree, Pham joined the U.S. Marine Corps and became an officer and a pilot like his father. He describes his time in the service as less than ideal; Pham experienced racism because of his ethnic identity.

Throughout the text of A Sense of Duty, Pham comments on the state of American politics, the Vietnamese Communists who won the war, anti-war supporters in the United States, and the media. Writing in Marine Corps Gazette, Robert R. Darron wrote, "This is a bittersweet book. It is a worthwhile read because it describes Americans from many angles. We must realize that others don't see us in the same rosy light that we perceive ourselves."