Naman Shrestha
The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, in the USA resulted in the deaths of many innocent civilians and government employees. As a result, it caused the nation to launch a war on terrorism, which in turn led to many casualties in the form of innocent civilians and US soldiers. One of the government workers who lost his life in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon is Khang Ngoc Nguyen, who left behind his wife and son, An Nguyen. In Netflix’s ‘Turning Point: Generation 9/11,’ An features and shares how difficult his life was growing up without his father.
An Nguyen Grew Up With His Father’s Memories
Khang Ngoc Nguyen was born and raised in Vietnam, from where he emigrated to the US in 1981. There, he crossed paths with Tu HoNguyen. The two got married and welcomed their only child, An Ho-Ngoc Nguyen. While Khang worked as an Electrical Engineer as a contractor for the US Navy, Tu HoNguyen was an engineer at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On the tragic day of September 11, 2001, 41-year-old Khang was in the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building at 9:37 am and killed nearly 200 people. The tragedy left a deep void in An’s heart as he was then raised by his single mother in Fairfax, Virginia. Keeping his father’s memories alive in his heart, An thrived academically and in extracurricular activities, including martial arts, tennis, swimming, and basketball.
Since his father could also play the guitar, An tried to master the skill so that he could play the songs that he remembered his father playing when he was young. After graduating from C.G. Woodson High School, he attended George Mason University, where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Database Technology and Programming. At the same time, he also worked as a part-time Multimedia/Front Desk Mentor at the university. After earning his major in 2019, he received his Master’s degree in Software Engineering from George Mason University in December 2021. Around that time, between 2019 and 2021, he was employed as a Software Engineering Analyst at Accenture Federal Services.
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An Nguyen is an Experienced Software Engineer Today
Days before the 20th death anniversary, in September 2021, An Nguyen shared how he grew up with limited memories of his late father, Khang Ngoc Nguyen. He told WITF, “In some regards I’m on my own trying to understand how this world operates and possibly more importantly, how do I know myself? How do I define myself without the most important male role model in my life?” He dedicated his educational achievement to his father, stating, “It embodies my father’s legacy. I know he would be very proud of where I’ve gone and what I’ve persevered for, under his name.”
In November 2021, An landed a job at Booz Allen Hamilton as a Senior Software Engineer Consultant. After working there for nearly two and a half years, he switched to Microsoft in April 2024. Since then, he has been serving as a full-time Software Engineer at the company. As for his personal life, he prefers to keep it private and away from the limelight. However, it is certain that he takes time out of his busy schedule to spend quality time with his devoted mother.
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