Navy's first Vietnamese admiral survived massacre of his family by man who was executed in 1968

The Navy's first Vietnamese admiral almost lost his life as a young boy during the Vietnam War and was forced to play dead in order to survive and ultimately escape the country of his birth.

Huan Nguyen was just nine-years-old when in 1968 he became caught up in an incident which was captured by a photographer whose picture became famous the world over. 

Photographer Eddie Adams took an image of Viet Cong guerrilla Bay Lop being executed by South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan.

The picture was published in newspapers around the world in 1968 with the photo serving to fuel the anti-war movement in the U.S. which saw the image as clear evidence the war was an unjust one.

But Adams, a former Marine Corps photographer has said there is more to the photo than meets the eye.

South Vietnamese Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the National Police, fires his pistol into the head of suspected Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem (also known as Bay Lop) on a Saigon street in February 1968, early in the Tet Offensive

Nguyen was promoted to rear admiral in October 2019 and at the age of 60 became the highest-ranking Vietnamese-born officer in the U.S. Navy at the time to hold an admiral's rank

Brigadier Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, Director of the National Police - South Vietnam, who killed most of Huan Nguyen's family , lived until the age of 67 in 1998. Pictured in 1967

Bay Lop, the subject in the photo, had been executed in Saigon after carrying out the mass murder of Huan Nguyen's father - South Vietnamese Lt. Col. Nguyen Tuan, along with the officer's wife, mother, and six of his children, five boys and one girl.  

Huan Nguyen, managed to survive despite being shot three times through the arm, thigh, and  skull. The youngster stayed with his mother's dead body for two hours following the cold-blooded murder according to Military.com.

When night fell, Nguyen then escaped managing to  avoid the communist guerrillas, and went to live with his uncle, a colonel in the South Vietnamese Air Force.

Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, the officer and Nguyen, his nephew now 16, escaped to the United States.

They were just two of around 125,000 Vietnamese refugees who fled to the U.S. after South Vietnam fell to the North Vietnamese forces. 

In 2018 Commander Vice Adm. Tom Moore pins Capt. Huan Nguyen, deputy chief information officer, NAVSEA; with an Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) qualification insignia to his uniform

The following year, in 2019, Vice Adm. Thomas J. Moore, left, administered the oath of office to Rear Adm. Huan T. Nguyen during Nguyen's promotion ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial & Heritage Center, in October 2019.

Nguyen became the first Vietnamese-American promoted to the rank of rear admiral and served as the deputy commander for Cyber Engineering at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) at the Washington Navy Yard

The family were taken care of by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps troops as they made their way through Guam, along with thousands of other refugees. 

It was while fleeing Vietnam during the Vietnam War, Nguyen had his first encounter with Sailors and Marines who were assisting refugees. He has since said that it was a  seminal moment fueled his desire to serve in the United States Navy.

U.S. Air Force Col. Ed Veiluva sponsored the family, which ultimately resettled in Oklahoma as political refugees.

Nguyen went on to earn a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1981, together with master's degrees in electrical engineering, engineering, and information technology. 

In 1993, his engineering expertise led to him receiving a direct commission in the U.S. Navy through the Reserve Engineering Duty Officer Program.

Huan T. Nguyen, pictured in 2021, was Deputy Commander for Cyber Engineering at the Naval Sea Systems Command

Rear Adm. Huan Nguyen, also gave lectured and taught those comin up through the ranks

At age 15, Nguyen, seen here in October 2022, came to the United States as a refugee and became a citizen. He was the first Vietnamese American to attain flag rank in the U.S. Navy

Nguyen was promoted to rear admiral in October 2019 and at the age of 60 became the highest-ranking Vietnamese-born officer in the U.S. Navy at the time to hold an admiral's rank. Nguyen retired in October 2022. 

'The images that I remember vividly when I arrived at Camp Asan, Guam, now Asan Beach Park, were of American sailors and Marines toiling in the hot sun, setting up tents and chow halls, distributing water and hot food, helping and caring for the people with dignity and respect,' Nguyen said. 

'I thought to myself how lucky I am to be in a place like America. Those sailors inspired me to later serve in the United States Navy.

'America is the beacon of hope for all of us. There is no other place in the world where a person can go for such opportunity,' Nguyen said.