A special Mahalo to Col. (Ret) Wesley F. Fong, U.S. Army for serving as one of our special guests for our National Vietnam War Veterans Day Celebration held on March 30, 2026. Col. Fong also donated his book, Memoirs of a Chinese American, to us here at Maunalani Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. He also did us the big honor of signing and dedicating his book.
Mr. Fong is an attorney and an adjunct professor teaching law and ethics at the University of Hawaii, Shidler School of Business, Travel Industry Management. He was a staff counsel for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and a former Hawaii state supervising deputy attorney general in charge of the tort litigation division and a Honolulu city senior deputy corporation counsel and the head of the trials division. He is a court appointed arbitrator. He also holds a real estate broker’s license. He graduated from Punahou School, the University of Hawaii with a B.A. degree in political science and the University of Illinois School of Law with a JD degree. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General School, Command & General Staff College and U.S. Army War College.A Vietnam veteran, he retired as a colonel, U.S. Army. He served as a captain in the Medical Service Corps in Vietnam and later served as the staff judge advocate, U.S. Army Pacific Reserves; deputy commander, Pacific Liaison Command; and the staff judge advocate, U.S. Army/ Japan. His awards include the legion of merit, two bronze stars, two meritorious service medals, the Vietnamese cross of gallantry awarded by the Republic of Vietnam and combat medic badge.
Presently, he serves as the chair of the State Ethics Commission and chair of Neighborhood Board 14. He was the vice chair of the Honolulu Liquor Commission. His past community service includes president or chair of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Hawaii Arthritis Foundation; Military Officers Association of America; Hawaii; Maryknoll School Advisory Board; Palolo Chinese Home; West Honolulu Rotary Club; Hawaii Chinese Civic Association; Mun Lun Chinese School; Chinatown Community Center Association; and See Dai Doo Society. He was also the vice chair of the Hawaii/Pacific Export Council, Department of Commerce and a director of Catholic Charities Hawaii.
Among his honors, he is the recipient of the national Jefferson Award for Public Service; the Distinguished University of Hawaii Alumni Award; the Organization of Chinese American Award for community service; the Hawaii Chinese Civic Association Mandarin Award for community service and personal achievement; the Jaycees International Old Timers Award for community service; and the Veterans of Foreign Wars 50th Vietnam Anniversary Commemoration Medal (only 50 awarded in Hawaii) for military and community service.
