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Trần Quang Khôi (24 January 1930 – 1 April 2023) was a Brigadier general in the
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
ese
Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...
(ARVN).


Early life and education

Trần was born in Đa Phước Hội village, Mỏ Cày district,
Bến Tre Province Bến Tre was a former province of Vietnam. It is one of the country's southern provinces, and is situated in the Mekong Delta. It is also famous for its coconuts and the Coconut Religion nationwide. Disconnected from the mainland, the province ...
,
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
to his father Trần Quang Chiêu and mother Lê Thị Hòa. He grew up in Vĩnh Thanh Vân village, Châu Thành Rạch Giá,
Kiên Giang Province Kiên Giang was a former province of Vietnam, located in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. It is known for fishing and rice farming. The provincial capital is Rạch Giá, from Ho Chi Minh City. Kiên Giang's area is and its popul ...
.


Military career

He graduated from the Vietnamese National Military Academy in Đà Lạt, class of 1952. In 1955 he attended the Saumur Cavalry School in France, in 1955 (Advanced Course). In 1959 he attended the United States Army Armor School in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He obtained a Master of Military Arts and Sciences (MMAS) degree from US Army,
Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, class of 1972–1973. In 1974 he commanded the ARVN III Corps Armor Brigade and was considered by his former US advisors to be the best armor officer in the ARVN. In March 1974 he commanded the armored forces in the Battle of Svay Rieng, the last major South Vietnamese offensive of the war. In May 1974 his armored forces participated in the Battle of the Iron Triangle.


Later life

He was captured on 30 April 1975 following the
Fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...
and spent 17 years in a re-education camp. After having arrived in the United States in May 1993 under the Humanitarian Resettlement Program (HO), part of the Orderly Departure Program (ODP), Khôi studied at the
George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, majored in French Studies, and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1998. He died in
Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an ...
on 1 April 2023, at the age of 93.


Biography

Read by Senator Richard H. Black before the
Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...
On the 10th of February 2014 BG Tran Quang Khoi is a 1952 graduate of the Vietnamese National Military Academy. He received an MA in French Studies from George Mason University in Virginia. His Military education included: the French Cavalry School at
Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
in 1955 (Advanced Course), the US Army Armor School at
Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...
in 1959 (Advanced Course), and the US Army Command and General Staff College at
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
in 1972–1973 In early 1970, his combined-arms Task Force 318 spearheaded the US/VN incursion into
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
destroying large NVA logistical installations and damaging heavily NVA main forces. In November 1970, he organized, trained 3rd Armored Cavalry Brigade and commanded it in Cambodia to secure the border against NVA infiltrations into III Corps area. The Paris Peace Accords signed on 27 January 1973 nominally ended the VN War but in fact, provided opportunity for North VN to take over South VN. As the U.S. withdrew troops and cut support, the military situation grew increasingly serious. Finally, North VN supported by the Soviet Union and Communist China used armed aggression against the Republic of South VN. In March 1974, NVA 5th Infantry Division surrounded DUC Hue Base defended by ARVN 83rd Ranger Battalion. In 3 days the ARVN 3rd Cav. Brigade (+) broke the siege defeating the NVA 5th Division by a night river crossing and a surprise counterattack in Cambodia. During the last days if the VN War, the III Corps Assault Force (IIICAF) under BG Tran Q. Khoi command defended Bien Hoa City, defeated NVA 341st Division in its vicinity, forcing the enemy to give up the fight an withdraw with very heavy casualties. Then the NVA concentrated all of his forces (15 divisions) to attack
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
. In the morning of 30 April 1975, the IIICAF left Bien Hoa rushed to rescue Saigon but had to stop the fighting when BG Khoi heard the President’s voice on the radio ordering all ARVN to cease fire and surrender. In the end, BG Khoi refused to flee the country with his C and C ship and joined his fighting men in captivity in North VN. Only with the help of Senator
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
did the Communists release him from concentration camps after 17 years and let him go to the U. S. to reunite with his family in Virginia in May 1993.


Quotes

*I was most sorry for the outcome of the war, but I had done my best. I let my troops execute the President's final order for themselves: I had nothing more to say. But deep in my heart, I silently thanked all of them for their courage, sacrifice, and dedication until the very last minute of the war. Together, we had fulfilled our obligation and oath of allegiance

*I shall never repent having done what I did, nor complain about the consequences of my captivity. If history were to repeat itself, I would choose the same path. By doing so, I know from experience that I would lose everything but HONOR


References


External links


General Tran Quang Khoi biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tran, Quang Khoi 1930 births 2023 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals American people of Vietnamese descent Vietnamese exiles Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College South Vietnamese military personnel of the Vietnam War People from Bến Tre province