Quy Dinh NGUYEN

Quy Dinh Nguyen was born in Binh Dinh, Vietnam, an area in central Vietnam on August 24th, 1926. At the age of 24, Quy joined the French National Gendarmerie where he received police force training in Saigon. In 1954, he was among the first to serve in the Republic of Vietnam’s National Police Force. A decade later, Quy received additional training to fulfill a new role in the Republic of Vietnam’s National Police Field Force. He eventually became the captain of the G3 branch, the branch responsible for operations, training, and tactical doctrine. In 1969, he attended the Police Academy in the United States. He was a part of the defense against the Tet Offensive in 1968 when Communists broke a prior agreement and launched surprise attacks in Saigon during the Vietnamese New Year celebrations. Following the fall of Vietnam, Quy was captured by the Communist government and spent 13 years in a concentration camp, three of which were spent in solitary confinement. He was also subjected to forced labor and physical abuse but he never lost hope. After being released from the concentration camp, Quy met his wife, Mai. After getting married, the two journeyed to the U.S where they lived in Washington D.C for two years. Their daughter, Catherine was born there and two months later, the family moved to Washington where they have lived ever since. In 2001, Quy suffered from a stroke and brain tumor. After surgery to remove the brain tumor, he had reconstructive surgery done and spent six months in a rehabilitation center. He was eager to come home and nurses joked that he was their most cooperative patient ever. Quy spent the last several years of his life bedridden, but in good spirits. His family was always around and his bed was near the TV where he could keep track of televised tennis matches and soccer games. After making a final trip to the hospital for six days, Quy came home once again. He was home for four days before he passed away on July 29th, 2012 at 11:38am. He took his last breath peacefully on his terms; at home with his loved ones right by his side. A memorial service will be held for Quy at 1pm Saturday, August 11th, 2012 at St. John the Baptist church in Covington. The address is: 25810 156th Avenue SE Covington, WA 98042