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Memorial for Dong van Pham
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Born in Vietnam on Oct. 25, 1919
Departed on Nov. 26, 2008 and resided in Philadelphia, PA.
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| Visitation: |
Friday, Dec. 5, 2008
09:00 am - 8:00 pm
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| Service: |
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008
09:30 am - 12:30 pm
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| Cemetery: |
Fairfax Memorial Park
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PHAM VAN DONG, Major-General (Retired), Army of the Republic of Vietnam, passed away on November 26, 2008 at his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was 89.
General Dong was born on October 25, 1919 in Son Tay and raised in Hanoi, North Vietnam. He joined the army in 1938 and began a 26 years-long distinguished and dedicated career serving his country.
General Dong was awarded numerous military medals, and held various command and staff posts, to include Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd Mobile Group (Group Mobile 2) in 1952; CO, Light Infantry and Artillery Task Force of Northern Vietnam in 1953; CO, Quang Yen Military Training Center in 1954.
After the 1954 Geneva Convention that partitioned the country in half, Colonel Dong moved south with his family. His military career continued with his appointment as the CO of Coastal Zone in 1955. A year later, he was promoted to Commander of the 3rd Field Division, a post he held from 1956 to 1958.
In 1959, as a Colonel, he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After his return from the U.S., he was promoted to Deputy Commander of South Vietnam's III Corps. After the November 1, 1963 coup d'etat that toppled the 1st Republic, he was appointed Commander of the 7th Infantry division. He then served briefly as Military Attache to the Republic of China (Taiwan). Upon his return, he was promoted to Brigadier-General and served as the Security Commissioner of the Armed Forces Council before being promoted to Major-General by then Head-of-State, General Nguyen Khanh. His last military position was Military Governor of Saigon-Gia Dinh and concurrently CO of the Special Capital Zone.
In 1969, he was appointed to the cabinet position of Minister of War Veterans, which he held to 1974. In 1975 at the fall of the Republic of Vietnam, General Dong settled in the United States with his family.
He was preceded in death in 1992 by Le thi Ly, his beloved wife of 48 years. He subsequently remarried Lan Trinh. He is survived by a brother Pham van Dat of CA and a sister Pham thi Vuong of Vietnam; his wife by second marriage Lan Trinh; 5 children from the first marriage; 3 stepchildren; 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
His numerous decorations included:
Tuong Trung Long Tinh huy-chuong (Officier de l'Ordre du Dragon d'Annam)
De tam dang Bao quoc huan-chuong (Commander of the National Order)
Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur
Chuong my boi tinh de nhat hang (Chuong my medal, 1st class)
De tu dang Bao quoc huan-chuong (Officer of the National Order)
Luc-quan huan-chuong de nhat hang (Army Distinguished Service Order, 1st class)
Anh-dung boi tinh voi 2 nhanh duong-lieu và 1 ngoi sao dong (Gallantry Cross, with 2 palms and 1 bronze star)
Croix de guerre 1939-1945 avec palme de bronze (citation a l'ordre de l'Armee)
Croix de guerre des TOE avec 2 palmes d'argent et 4 citations de bronze
Croix du combattant
Medaille coloniale avec barrette Extreme Orient
Medaille d'honneur pour actes de courage et de devouement
Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1939-1945
Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Indochine
Chevalier de l'Ordre du merite du Territoire autonome Nung
Croix d'officier de l'Ordre du merite civil de la Federation T'ai
Phat Trien Sac Toc Boi Tinh de nhat hang (Ethnic Development Service medal, 1st class)
Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Thailand
Order of the Brilliant Star, 1st Class, Republic of China
Geun Mu Gong Ro Medal, 2nd Class, Republic of Korea
PHAM VAN DONG, Major-General (retired), Army of the Republic of Viet Nam
Services will be held on Saturday December 6, 2008 at 11 a.m. at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, Virginia, followed by burial with full honors at the Fairfax Memorial Park.
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This Memorial Obituary provided by
Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home
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