“As Asian Americans, we can offer a unique perspective, neither superior nor inferior, in an organization. Any good organization should reflect our current society, and ensuring that all perspectives are represented and respected can lead to a stronger and more diverse environment,” said Tu Nguyen, a U.S. service member of Vietnamese descent.
Nguyen’s unique perspective, tenacious work ethic, and talents indeed led to a more robust and more diverse environment at Commander Logistics Group, Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC)/Task Force 73, where he was recently named the 2022 Sailor of the Year (SOY) for the U.S. Navy’s Singapore division. The humble Michigan native was recognized after an impressive body of work that included resolving 182 trouble tickets, correcting 30 building deficiencies, and leading a team of eight information systems technicians (IT).
“I feel proud that the work me and my team have accomplished consistently over the last year is being recognized,” said Nguyen. “I also feel humbled because I have only worked with absolute professionals at their jobs, and it could have easily been anybody else on this staff”.
Serving as an electrician technician first class petty officer, Nguyen’s role at COMLOG WESTPAC is comparable to a cyber security IT in the private sector. According to his supervisor, Nguyen’s selection was a unanimous pick after he “led a Microsoft Flank Speed migration for a staff of 160 employees and a design and network infrastructure for a new watch floor”, said Master Chief Petty Officer Arthur Dunford.
Nguyen is no stranger to hard work or accolades. Before his recent SOY honors, he was named Sailor of the Quarter (SOQ) in 2021 and 2022. The Grand Rapids native credits his work ethic to a legacy Armed Forces family that includes “five cousins who served or currently serving [across the military services] and a grandfather who was a soldier in the Vietnam War,” he said.
With parents who hail from Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon, respectively, Petty Officer First Class Nguyen is among the Department of the Navy’s (DON) more than 70,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, of which 736 are master chiefs or senior chiefs, 19 are civilian executives in the DON, and three are serving as admirals.
Each May, the Navy celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month to honor the contributions of AAPI Sailors of the past and present. For 2023, the Navy’s theme for the heritage celebration was “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity,” according to an official message from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
With a new six-year enlistment as of March 2023, Nguyen plans to advance at every opportunity with “an immediate career endeavor to make chief [petty officer] and become an LDO [commissioned limited duty officer] afterward,” he said.
However, while the self-proclaimed die-hard Detroit Lions and Michigan State University fan plans to climb the rank ladder, he also promises to bring others with him.
“The Navy…has provided me many opportunities to learn and grow as a Sailor and an individual. I want to continue that path of growth but also be able to provide those opportunities for others,” said Nguyen.
