The Bolsavik received the email below from Quang X. Pham, a former USMC officer and pilot who flew combat in the first Gulf War and in Somalia. He’s the author of “A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey” (Random House, 2005).
Pham questions Ly Tong‘s authenticity, not just in the way he dresses up, but especially Ly Tong’s claim to have been shot down by the Vietnamese communist forces. Read all entries in this blog related to Ly Tong by clicking here.
Ly Tong – wearing incorrect wings on his cover (headgear, hat)
1. He’s wearing the wings of a naval aviator on his hat. He is not a naval aviator. I am a naval aviator and earned my wings of gold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviator_insignia
LA Times Photograph 4/15/08
2. Ly Tong is a former/defunct Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) pilot and his pilot’s wings are silver, not wings of gold. As a lieutenant colonel, my late father had Senior Pilot’s wings.
http://vnaf.net
3. The first stint for the folk hero, self-styled freedom fighter and international lover came when his South Vietnamese A-37 fighter jet was shot down at the end of the Vietnam War. He was captured by the North Vietnamese and hustled into in a “reeducation camp.” http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_999570.php
I have thoroughly researched the end of the Vietnam War and the history of the VNAF for my book, “A Sense of Duty.” I have interviewed dozens of VNAF veterans and combed through military archives. Nowhere could I find any record of Ly Tong’s VNAF A-37 that was shot down. On the penultimate day of the war, April 29, 1975, two VNAF aircraft were shot down over Saigon, a C-119 gunship and an A-1 Skyraider. http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0005/ch8.htm
Most of the VNAF aircraft were grounded during the waning days of the war. One defector took an F-5 jet to the north. Many A-37 and F-5 jets were flown to Utapoa Thailand to avoid being captured by the North Vietnamese thus not engaged in combat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Son_Nhut_Air_Base
Most of the South Vietnamese officers were rounded up for reeducation (surrendered) in the months after the fall of Saigon. Junior officers (lieutenants 3-5 years, captains 5-7 years), majors 8-10 years, my father, a lieutenant colonel 12 years, colonels and generals 13-18 years). http://www.qxpham.com/in_memory_of_my_father.htm
Regards,
Quang X. Pham
ceo | speaker | author
www.quangxpham.com
I don’t care how Ly Tong wears his pins but I think he is a joke!
Hi, I just edited the intro to point out that Quang X Pham is questioning Ly Tong’s authenticity – not only in his getup, but also in his claim to have been shot down in an A-37.
A VNAF pilot who was shotdown in 1964…
http://www.hmm-364.org/doxa.html
Do Xa Strike Mission
Based upon intelligence information received, on 27 April 1964 various military commands in Vietnam were concurrently preparing for helicopter assaults on suspected Viet Cong (VC) strongholds. One was located 15 miles west northwest of Quang Ngai, near the village of Do Xa, and the other was approximately 30 miles further west.
Ly Tong is not just a joke. He is a clown who
just has to join other bolsa clowns like a bunch of monkeys on the loose…
It is not even funny…..
to PXQ: So you say VNAF senior pilot wing is supposed to be gold, not silver?
FYI, VNAF wings are in SILVER color, never GOLD!!!!!And VNAF senior pilot wing is supposed to have 2 “nhánh lúa” on the wings. The wing in the photo that you provided is probably faded with times and it shows the brass color underneath the silver.
At least the guy went to Vietnam and dropped anti communitst flyers. You guys are just jealous. That’s the main problem with the Viet in general!!!!
Obviously the guy is fake. Somebody should investigate him.
Why is he accepting medical bills being paid by Nguyen Xuan Ngai? What’s going on behind the scene?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kLyV-UUd08
For those who don’t speak Vietnamese and may be wondering what’s the video reader TT67 had just put up: It’s a rally for John McCain during the 2000 elections.
I think TT67 put it up here because at around 1:45 you can see Quang X. Pham coming on stage addressing McCain and the crowd.
No one dares to say that hero Tong Ly is a communist agent. But read the “The Story of Three Nations” (Tam Quoc Chi), thousand years ago, Ton Quyen played the scheme of pain and humiliation (kho nhuc ke) to send his general to serve on the Tao Thao side to gather information and provide advice and finally destroyed Tao Thao’s army at the Xich Bich battle! After 04/1975 the CPV faked many resistance groups to lure and capture a lot of RVN soldiers who did not want to surrender. Now, just think out of the box! Did the CPV play the same scheme to destroy the reputation of the Vietnamese refugee communities? Possible! More likely than not! Tong Ly’s hunger strike to blackmail ELECTED officials and protest against freedom of speech and expression certainly served the CPV’s purpose very well! -Tien Huynh
Dear Naval Aviator Quang X. Pham,
I would like to reply your questions about “Ly Tong wearing incorrect wings on his cover (headgear, hat)” in question order:
In the first two questions:
1. He’s wearing the wings of a naval aviator on his hat. He is not a naval aviator.
2. Ly Tong is a former/defunct Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) pilot and his pilot’s wings are silver, not wings of gold.
You are correct. All Republic Of Vietnam’s pilots are Air Force pilots even if they were graduated from Naval Flying Schools and wore silver wings. In 1966, I was sent to the USA to be trained at a Naval Flying School at the same time with the famous defunct pilot TRAN THE VINH , but I was discharged by discipline due to my punishing Air Cadet Pham Quan Trong, a senior and cadre at Lackland Air Force Base English School in Texas . I rejoined VNAF later and became an A-37 jet pilot.
Why do I wear naval aviator pilot’s wing?
- First, if I was not discharged by discipline, I’d have become a pilot graduated from a naval flying school and had a naval pilot’s silver wing.
- Second, in 1980s, a Vietnamese-American lieutenant-colonel naval pilot (I forget his name, living in Orange County, CA) came to New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend a meeting and offered me his gold wing in an unofficial ceremony with the presence of 200 guests at THANH THANH restaurant due to his respecting my past exploit. Since then, I wore this gold wing to remember his friendship and my troubled past.
About the third question:
3. The first stint for the folk hero, self-styled freedom fighter and international lover came when his South Vietnamese A-37 fighter jet was shot down at the end of the Vietnam War. He was captured by the North Vietnamese and hustled into in a “reeducation camp.” http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_999570.php
I have thoroughly researched the end of the Vietnam War and the history of the VNAF for my book, “A Sense of Duty.” I have interviewed dozens of VNAF veterans and combed through military archives. Nowhere could I find any record of Ly Tong’s VNAF A-37 that was shot down. On the penultimate day of the war, April 29, 1975, two VNAF aircraft were shot down over Saigon, a C-119 gunship and an A-1 Skyraider. http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0005/ch8.htm
Most of the VNAF aircraft were grounded during the waning days of the war. One defector took an F-5 jet to the north. Many A-37 and F-5 jets were flown to Utapoa/Utapao Thailand to avoid being captured by the North Vietnamese thus not engaged in combat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Son_Nhut_Air_Base
Most of the South Vietnamese officers were rounded up for reeducation (surrendered) in the months after the fall of Saigon. Junior officers (lieutenants 3-5 years, captains 5-7 years), majors 8-10 years, my father, a lieutenant colonel 12 years, colonels and generals 13-18 years). http://www.qxpham.com/in_memory_of_my_father.htm
I was shot down by North Vietnamese SA-7 gunners on 5 April 1975 at BA NGOI near CAM RANH and every VNAF pilot knew it, including most of people living in Cam Ranh, Nha Trang , Phan Rang and others. So I’m sorry to offer you my compliment about your book “: A Sense of Duty” as “unauthentic” from your term “Ly Tong’s authenticity” because your research was not thorough as you claimed if not inefficient and irresponsible. But anyway you had some stupid and jealous guys like Loc Tan Nguyen, Linda… supported your claim and your authenticity !
4. LY TONG
Regards,
Quang X. Pham
ceo | speaker | author
http://www.quangxpham.com
To all, regarding comment by “LY TONG” (#12) above:
The commenter used an email address that IS Ly Tong’s email address. However, many people know that email address; therefore there is no guarantee that the commenter actually is the anti-communist folk hero.
A couple of hours after the comment appeared, the Bolsavik at 1pm on April 19 emailed Ly Tong asking for confirmation that he did send that comment.
Until Ly Tong responds, gentle readers can take it however you feel like.
The Bolsavik
Another comment regarding to the Ly Tong’s last battle at
http://www.hatnang.com/showpost.php?p=266386&postcount=15
- Comment #5: VNAF pilot’s wings are silver, not gold. Senior VNAF pilot’s wings are also silver, with the wings being connected above a 5-point star.
- Designated naval aviators (Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard) have landed on aircraft carriers and/or amphibious vessels, day and night. The U.S. Air Force trained the majority of VNAF pilots, starting in 1957. In 1960, the U.S. Navy trained VNAF pilots in Corpus Christi, Texas, to fly the A-1 Skyraider (Phi Doan 1, khu truc, later Phi Doan 514 at Bien Hoa airbase). http://vnaf.net/people/a1_pilot_2.html
- Reread my original #3. I could not find any record of Ly Tong’s shotdown in military archives or written anywhere so I am glad to see Phong Tran’s link about Ly Tong’s last flight over Phan Rang.
- The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 (the Act), signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006,[1] is a U.S. law that broadens the provisions of previous U.S. law addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, sale or claim (either written or verbal) of any military decorations and medals. It is a federal class D felony offense, which carries a punishment of prison time and/or a fine; the scope previously covered only the Medal of Honor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Valor_Act_of_2005
I love this quote from Ly Tong:
“So I’m sorry to offer you my compliment about your book “: A Sense of Duty” as “unauthentic” from your term “Ly Tong’s authenticity” because your research was not thorough as you claimed if not inefficient and irresponsible. But anyway you had some stupid and jealous guys like Loc Tan Nguyen, Linda… supported your claim and your authenticity !”
Please claim your work responsible. On top of that you are ceo | speaker | author . Will I have trust in you ?
Where can I return the book and obtain refund??? By the way, if you still have your ” Sense Of Duty”, you should publicly apologize to Mr. Ly Tong….