BEDFORD, Virginia – Saigon native Lapthe Flora has become the first Vietnamese boat person promoted to Brigadier General in the United States Army National Guard.

He is also the second General in the US Army of Vietnamese descent.

“The American dream is alive and if you work hard you can achieve anything,” Flora said at a National D-Day memorial on Monday.

“As someone who grew up in the country, I understand the hardship and the sacrifice they went through. At the same time, after the war, I witnessed many of the hardships the families have to go through. Without them, we wouldn’t have that 20 years of freedom.”

“This is definitely a humbling experience to say the least. Not that many people have this privilege.”

The son of a South Vietnamese merchant marine, Flora came of age as Communist forces cracked down on the U.S.-supported government based in Saigon.

Flora fled Vietnam at the age of 18, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, and spent several years in hiding in jungles and refugee camps before making his way to the United States.

He arrived in the Roanoke Valley, southwest of Virginia, through a Catholic charity that places refugee children with foster homes.

He was adopted by a Roanoke County couple, John and Audrey Flora, and soon learnt English.

After graduating from Cave Spring High School, Flora attended the Virginia Military Institute, where he earned a degree in biology and accepted a commission into the U.S. Army Reserve in 1987.

Flora transferred to the Virginia Army National Guard, where he served in every staff position within the 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, including commander of the unit.

Flora was deployed overseas three times, to Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

While serving in his new role, Flora will oversee the strategic initiative to help grow the National Guard.

He will continue to live in Roanoke and work as a senior applications engineer with Harris Corp., which operates a night vision manufacturing plant. Flora works as an engineer for Harris Corporation in Roanoke.

– with other agencies.