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Kathleen “Katie” Young, NSWCDD chief engineer
Episode 2506 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Vietnamese refugee who has done quite well in this country. The featured story comes from the Naval Sea Systems Command [THE FORCE BEHIND THE FLEET]. It was submitted by Dave Ellis, a writer for the NSWCDD Corporate Communications.
The featured story is titled, Growing up in war-torn Vietnam, leads NSWCDD chief engineer in lifelong pursuit of stability. It describes the like of Kathleen “Katie” Young. She lived with her family in Saigon. She was six years old when the communist North Vietnamese rolled into town with Soviet tanks and took over the place.
Her father served as an officer in the South Vietnamese Army. When the commies arrived, he was imprisoned for ten years. She and her family became destitute in the newly arrived communist paradise.
Finally, she and her family made it to America. They settled in Montgomery County, Maryland. Katie Young did not ask for a hand-out but offered a hand to her new home country. She hit the deck running. She earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. She also holds a master’s in national strategic and securities studies from the Naval War College.
Today Katie serves as chief engineer for the Strategic and Computing Systems Department and as the Conventional Prompt Strike Software lead. Her work at Dahlgren has earned her numerous awards, including the Dr. James Colvard Award and the United States Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
She is happy with her new home country. Katie said about her new country, “I feel very strongly that the U.S. plays an important role in maintaining stability across the world,” she said. “It’s a very important personal connection for me. What we do here at Dahlgren for the Department of Defense contributes to our country’s efforts.”
Listen to episode 2506 and discover more about the Vietnamese refugee who has done quite well in this country.
