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For His Family & Country
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Paul Dong surrounded by his children Harvey, Julie, Michael and Alvin. Photos courtesy of the Dong family.
For His Family & Country For His Family & Country
SACRAMENTO CENTENARIAN RECEIVES CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
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By Seth Sandronsky Meet Your Neighbor
Paul C. Dong, a Land Park resident, knows a thing or two about achievements and milestones.
He is 100 years old—and a U.S. Army veteran who recently received the congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of his outstanding military service during World War II. The Medal of Honor is the highest civilian award Congress grants.
The Army trained him as a tank driver and engineer. He served in the Philippines where U.S. forces fought the Japanese, as did his brother Ben. “I saw the most beautiful sunset ever in Manilla,” Dong says.
A Sacramento High graduate, he enlisted in the Army as a U.S.-born citizen at age 21. Against that backdrop, Chinese Americans experienced many forms of discrimination emanating from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that restricted the immigration of people from China. The Chinese Exclusion Act arrived 19 years after scores of
Top left to right: Sim Dong (step-brother), William Dong (brother) Bottom left to right: Paul Dong, Benjamin Dong (brother)
Chinese laborers began building the transcontinental railroad, a herculean project launched in 1863. Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act came Dec. 17, 1943, as the second World War raged.
During World War II, there were 100,000 Chinese Americans living in the U.S. About 20,000 Chinese Americans served in the armed forces, a testament to their patriotism during the second World War.
Dong received a letter from the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project that acknowledged his service: “The United States remains forever indebted to the bravery, valor, patriotism and dedication that the Chinese American Veterans of World War II displayed in defending and protecting democracy, at home and overseas.”
Later, after the war ended, Dong married Jeanne, who traveled to the U.S. from Canton, China. “She was my war bride,” Dong shared during a homebased backyard ceremony awarding him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jeanne began as a cannery worker. Later, she worked for the state as a keypunch operator. She passed away in 2013.
The couple wed in Sacramento, where they reared four children: Alvin, Julie, Harvey and Michael. As the breadwinner for his young family, Dong went to work as a mechanical engineer for the state of California. He studied mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley.
Becoming a homeowner presented Dong with challenges. He used the GI housing bill to purchase a home directly from a builder due to restrictive covenants discriminating against Chinese Americans and other minorities who sought to buy real estate.
He retired in the 1980s.
One thing is certain. Dong was there for his country and family when it mattered.
Seth Sandronsky can be reached at sethsandronsky@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n
HE IS 100 YEARS OLD—AND A U.S. ARMY VETERAN WHO RECENTLY RECEIVED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR IN RECOGNITION OF HIS OUTSTANDING MILITARY SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II.
