The national
commander is the executive head of The American Legion, with full power to
enforce provisions of the Legion’s constitution, bylaws and resolutions of
the national convention, which meets each year to govern the organization.
Each national commander serves a one-year term, after which a new one is
elected at the convention; five national vice commanders are also elected
annually.
Fang A. Wong of East
Brunswick, N.J., was elected national commander of The American Legion on
Sept. 1, 2011, during the 93rd National Convention in Minneapolis.
Born in Canton,
China, Wong immigrated to the United States as a 12-year-old in 1960. He
attended New York City public schools and became a naturalized citizen in
1963. Wong volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1969, served 25 months in
Vietnam, and retired from the Army as a chief warrant officer in 1989.
Wong earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration at New York Institute of
Technology in 1978 and a master's degree in management from Central
Michigan University in 1981.
Following his
retirement from the Army, Wong joined Lt. B.R. Kimlau Chinese Memorial
Post 1291 in New York. A former national vice commander and past
department commander of New York, Wong has held elected and appointed
offices at the post, county, district, department and national levels of
the Legion. Wong also served as a director of New York Empire Boys State
and as a member of the planning committee for the creation of the New York
American Legion College. He has served on several national committees and
commissions, including a term as chairman of the Legion's National
Security Commission.
Through his American
Legion post in Chinatown, Wong helped direct relief efforts in the
aftermath of 9/11. He has been a member of the Advisory Committee on
Veterans Employment and Training and Employer Outreach of the Department
of Labor, and served as chairman of the Special Investigation Committee
for the Chinese Community Benevolent Association (NYC) and the Office of
the Attorney General, State of New York, in 2005.
In 2011, Wong retired
from L-3 Communications, Command & Control Systems and Software (C2S2)
Division in support of the Army Software Engineering Center at Fort
Monmouth, N.J., after 20 years.
Wong is married to
the former Barbara Lam. They have one son, Eric. Barbara is active with
the American Legion Auxiliary and is a past district president for the
Department of New York. Eric is a charter member of Sons of The American
Legion Squadron 1291, Detachment of New York.
