Lieutenant Colonel Richard Ng, Military Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Pentagon, Virginia

What does your heritage mean to you? 

There are many definitions of the term “heritage”.  Some definitions of “heritage” range from: the product of your current environment that are influenced by the past; all individual cultural productivity, past and present; or elements from your natural surroundings are original, typical, or suitable to pass on to future generations (Timothy and Boyd 2003:2-5).

To me, “heritage” is defined as the set of morals; values; family and ethnic traditions; lessons learned; and traits transmitted by or acquired from both a predecessor and your environment.

How has it shaped your life and career? 

Let’s start with a little history about my Chinese ancestry.  My father is from a small village in southern China and my mother from Hong Kong.  Both came over to the United States as late teens in the 1960’s.  As one can imagine, they were both scared and overwhelmed by the challenges that faced them beginning new lives in another country.

Neither of my parents spoke much English and struggled in high school. 

My father eventually “dropped” out, and went to work in several jobs ranging from dish washer, cook, waiter and refrigeration repair.  My mother graduated from high school, and went to work as a hostess and waitress.  They eventually met and later married while working at the same restaurant.  Starting a family happened very quickly for my parents and they struggled financially.

As a result, they decided to move to another State with two toddlers in tow to seek other opportunities that would hopefully enable them to better support their family.

After the move, my parents worked several jobs but continued to struggle.

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