On the Scene with Wesley Fong

Wesley Fong went to Punahou School, then to the University of Hawaii ROTC program and law school, and then to Vietnam, where he was the only Asian-American officer in his unit. Fong came home for a career of public service with the state and Honolulu, and for leadership roles with a long list of community service groups.

He is in his 15th year teaching law and ethics at the UH-Manoa School of Travel Industry Management, a member of the state Ethics Commission and president of the Chinatown Community Center Association.

Fong, 75, retired from the Army Reserve in 1995 with the rank of colonel but is still active in military affairs. He’s taking another group of retired generals and admirals to the People’s Republic of China in November.

JOHN BERGER: How did you become involved in this program where our retired flag officers meet their Chinese counterparts?

WESLEY FONG: In 2007 the China Association for International Friendly Contact asked me to bring some “generals and admirals, retired” to China to promote friendship and understanding with the military. The program was so successful that now we’re on the eighth delegation. Anything to foster friendship and understanding between the United States and China I think is very important — more so now, as a matter of fact.

JB: Looking back at Vietnam, what stands out?

WF: When I returned I was proud to have served, but happier to still be alive. I was the captain of a medical company and I’m happy to say that although we had our casualties, what we did was save lives, not take lives, regardless of whether they were American or Vietnamese.

That’s something that a lot of people don’t realize, that we did some good in Vietnam even though we did lose the war.

It took a long time for our service be acknowledged (by the American public) and when someone now says, “Thank you for serving” those four words mean a lot.

JB: You have served as president of a long list of community service organizations — the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the See Dai Doo Society, the Hawaii Chinese Civic Association, the Palolo Chinese Home and the Rotary Club of West Honolulu to name five. Where does that commitment to leadership and community service come from?

WF: My mother. She used to preach to me when I was young about the importance of giving back.

Much, much later, when I was visiting China, I saw this written on the wall of a temple: “Our value is not in how long we live but how much we contribute.”

When I pass away, hopefully someone will say, “He has contributed something to make the world better.”

JB: What do you enjoy doing for relaxation?

WF: It depends how you define relaxation. I enjoy playing golf, and I enjoy tracking my real estate investments and playing the stock market — things that are more of an intellectual challenge than golf.

JB: Is there something you’d like to do?

WF: I enjoy travel and going to places that are off the beaten track, like Bhutan — not just going to Las Vegas — so eventually I’d like to go to all the five “-stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia) — Pakistan and Afghanistan don’t count!

JB: Is there anything else you’re looking forward to?

WF: My third grandchild is coming in January.