Nghia Huu Pham

Mr. Nghĩa Hữu Phạm, 92, passed away peacefully in Orlando, Florida. He was born in Yên Phú village, Thanh Liêm district, Vietnam, the eldest son of Mr. Phạm Hữu Thanh and Mrs. Đỗ Thị Châu.

At twenty, he entered the National Military Academy in Đà Lạt — the premier officer school of the Republic of Vietnam. He rose through a distinguished career in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, serving as Platoon Leader, Company Commander, Battalion Executive Officer, Deputy Province Chief, and Chief Justice, among other posts of trust.

In 1958, when his father passed away, he shouldered the responsibility expected of the eldest son, working alongside his mother to raise his six younger siblings to adulthood.

Following the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, he endured years of imprisonment in re-education camps in the remote highlands of northern Vietnam — a fate shared by many officers who had served the Republic. In 1992, he immigrated to the United States through the Humanitarian Operation program, beginning a new chapter with the same quiet resolve that had defined his life. In 1998, he married Mrs. Lệ Thị Nguyễn.

He is survived by his wife, three stepchildren and their spouses, an adopted son, four grandchildren, two sisters and their families, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Throughout his life, Mr. Phạm gave himself fully — to his country as a soldier and public servant, to his family as a devoted eldest son, father, and brother, and to all who knew him as a man of compassion, loyalty, and steadfast faith. His passing leaves a deep absence in the lives of those who loved him. He will not be forgotten.