I AM AN AMERICAN

I LIVE IN 4S RANCH,
WITH MY WIFE CONNIE
AND MY THREE CHILDREN,
BOBBY,
GEORGE,
VALENTINA.
BOBBY'S WIFE LISA AND THEIR DAUGHTER
HAYLEE ANGEL ALSO LIVE WITH THE FAMILY.

MY PARENTS ARE VIETNAMESE.
THEY LEFT VIETNAM IN 1947
TO LAOS DUE TO THE WAR
WITH THE FRENCH COLONIES.
THE FRENCH TRANSFERRED SOVEREIGNTY TO
VIETNAM IN 1949.
MY FATHER DIED AT THE AGE OF 87
IN HIS BIRTH PLACE IN VINH,
NGHE AN PROVINCE,
VIETNAM.
I WAS BORN IN LUANG PRABANG,
LAOS.
I WAS THE THIRD CHILD TO MY PARENTS,
WHO WERE IMMIGRANTS FROM VIETNAM.
AND I ATTENDED SCHOOL IN LAOS,
WHERE FRENCH WAS THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE
I MAJORED IN HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
IN NONTHABURY, THAILAND,
WHERE I ALSO LEARNED TO SPEAK THAI.
WHILE STARTING MY CAREER IN LAOS,
I ALSO WORKED FOR THE UNITED STATES
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT;
THUS ENGLISH BECAME A PART OF
MY LANGUAGE REPERTOIRE.

IN 1963,
MY HOMELAND,
LAOS,
WENT THROUGH
A CIVIL UNREST DUE TO THE SEPARATION OF
THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING OF THE GOVERNMENT.
I RECEIVED A U.S.A.I.D. SCHOLARSHIP TO
STUDY ABROAD IN THAILAND.
THE KING OF LAOS WAS ABDICATED IN 1975
AND LAOS BECAME A COMMUNIST REPUBLIC
UNDER THE PATHET LAO.
I GRADUATED FROM THE IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT
INSTITUTE OF NONTHABURY,
THAILAND WITH A ASSOCIATE SCIENCE
DEGREE IN HYDRAULICS.

I SETTLED IN SAN DIEGO,
CALIFORNIA IN APRIL 1976
IN HOPES OF FINDING FREEDOM AND PEACE.
I BECAME A NATURALIZED AMERICAN CITIZEN
IN 1983 AND I AM AN AMERICAN.
I BEGAN CAREER AS COURT INTERPRETER
AND LANGUAGE AND CULTURE EXPERT.

I GOT MARRIED TO CONNIE SIMUONG
IN JANUARY 1977
AND WE HAVE THREE CHILDREN.

MY SISTER DIED OF CANCER;
I WENT TO LONDON AND
THEN FRANCE FOR THE FUNERAL.
DUE TO BUDDHIST BELIEFS
OF SHOWING RESPECT FOR LOVED ONES
WHEN THEY PASS ON,
I BECAME A MONK AND SHAVED MY HEAD.

I RECEIVED A UNITED STATES
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE HUMANITARIAN
AND AMERICAN SPIRIT AWARD IN 1981
AND WAS APPOINTED TO THE ASSOCIATE
DIRECTOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES.
I WAS APPOINTED AS CITY COMMISSIONER
OF SAN DIEGO HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
FOR A FOUR YEAR TERM IN 1991.
I RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF HOPE
AND DIGNITY AWARD FROM THE SAN DIEGO
COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS.
I COMPLETED THE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM 2000
FROM CALIFORNIA STATES UNIVERSITY
OF SAN MARCOS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.
I WAS APPOINTED TO BE ON THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT
WALL OF HONOR OF THE STATUE OF
LIBERTY-ELLIS FOUNDATION.
I BECAME OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTIONS WHEN
I EXPERIENCED A PIECE OF REALITY,
FROM THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TRAGEDY,
WITH A BEAM FROM THE TWIN TOWERS
THAT WAS BROUGHT TO SAN DIEGO
IN THE YEAR 2003.
I RECEIVED THE 2005 INTERNATIONAL
SOCIETY OF POETS'EDITORS CHOICE
PUBLISSHED POET RIBBON AWARD PIN
AND LANDED ME IN THE BEST POEMS
AND BEST POETS OF 2005;
"A HAPPY MARRIAGE AND
A HAPPY HOME" POEM WAS
FEATURED IN THE ANTHOLOGY,
"SOUND OF POETRY"
IN THE YEAR 2006.
MY POEMS COME FROM
THE BLESSED HEART
WHICH HAS VERY DEEP FEELINGS
ON THE AMERICAN CULTURE OF LIFE
TO TRANSFORM HUMANITY FROM WITHIN
AND TO MAKE IT NEW.
I RECEIVED A SPECIAL TRIBUTE
AND RECOGNITION OF HIS POETICACHIEVEMENT
AS A DISTINGUISHED FOUNDING LAUREATE MEMBER
AND INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF POETS INDUCTED
INTO THE INTERNATIONAL POETRY HALL OF FAME.
I AM A RECIPIENT OF THE ASIAN HERITAGE
AWARD FOR THE ART,
PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE OF
THE ASIAN MEDIA IN 2006.
I AM LISTED AS A FIRST TIME
NEW MAN OF HUMANITIES IN 2009
IN THE MARQUIS WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA.
THIS 63RD EDITION FEATURES MORE
THAN 109,000 PROFILES OF PROMINENT
INDIVIDUALS REPRESENTING VIRTUALLY EVERY
MAJOR FIELD OF ENDEAVOR AND HONORS
A GROUP OF "DIFFERENT MAKERS"
MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE PROFOUND
CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICA AND THE WORLD.