Accomplished Chinese American

John Liu Fugh 

Occupation:   U.S. Army Major General, Retired.  
Birth date:   September 12, 1934 
Borth Place:    Beijing, China 
Came to the U.S.:   Shortly after 1948   
Citizebship:   1957 

	Major General John L. Fugh proved wrong the old Chinese saying:"Good iron is not used to make a nail, Nor a good man to make a soldier." 

	John Fugh's military career of more than 30 years in the United States Army is a proud chapter in Asian-American history.  In 1984 he was the first Chinese-American to attain general officer rank.  When he was promoted to major general, Fugh joined a handful of Asian-Americans to reach the rank of a two-star general or higher.  Nothing in Fugh's childhood foretold his illustrious military career. 

	Fugh was born in Beijing", China in 1934.  Because of his father's professional associations with American dignitaries, life was very difficult for the Fugh family under Communist rule.  Fugh remembers his mother being whisked away in the middle of the night as a police tactic to scare him into telling the hiding place for "secret documents" -- documents that didn't exist, of course.  At 15, Fugh and his family left Mainland China for [Hong Kong]" where they eventually obtained travel visas to the United States. 

	In America, Fugh went to public high school in Washington D.C.   He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations.  In 1957 he entered George Washington University Law School and became a United States citizen.  American citizenship was made possible for the family by a private act in Congress granting them permanent residency status.  Without this congressional assistance, they would not have been able to remain in the United States on their temporary visitors' visas.  This instilled in him a desire to "give back" to his adopted country.  Military service was the path he took. 

	Upon graduation from law school in 1960 Fugh joined the Army as a commissioned officer in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps.  Who would have known then that 30 years later Fugh would head this corps of 2,700 military and civilian lawyers worldwide in his final assignment as The Judge Advocate General for the Army.   Fugh's military career took him around the world.   

	In the 1960s he was stationed in San Francisco, Europe and Vietnam.  From 1969 to 1972, he was with the Military Assistance Advisory Group for the Republic of China in Taipei, Taiwan.  From 1976 to 1978, Fugh served as the Staff Judge Advocate for the Third Armored Division in Frankfurt, Germany.  From 1972 until his retirement in 1993, Fugh held varied positions in the D.C. area.    

	When promoted to Brigadier General in 1984, he became the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Civil Law.  In this role Fugh created much-needed Procurement Fraud and Environmental Law Divisions for the JAG Corps.  In 1990, he became The Judge Advocate General (TJAG), the apex of his career.  As TJAG Fugh was the legal advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Army during the Persian Gulf War.  He established a human rights training program for developing countries and published the War Crimes Report, the first American effort since World War II to systematically document enemy war crimes. 

	His innovative leadership resulted in numerous projects with long-term significance.  He formed the Desert Storm Assessment Team, which thoroughly studied JAG Corps doctrine and the role of the judge advocate in combat.  Fugh emphasized the role of judge advocates in helping the Army deal with increasingly important contract matters and environmental problems.   At his retirement ceremony in June 1993, the Chief of Staff of the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal, one of many earned throughout his military career. 

	The Chinese-American Planning Council, a major Chinese-American organization in New York City, honored Fugh as Man of the Year 1994.  He is a member the Committee of 100, a prestigious Chinese- American group which encourages more political involvement by Asian-Americans.   

	Life was no less busy after retirement from the Army.  A partnership with the DC law firm of McGuire, Woods, Battle and Boothe was followed by the presidency of McDonnell Douglas China.  Then Fugh became Executive Vice-President of Boeing China Inc. for a brief period.  Since January 1998 he has been the Chairman of Enron International China, a telecommunications company.  He is responsible for all aspects of Enron's interests in the People's Republic of China, including development and project operations in China.   

	Looking back on his military career, Fugh recalls advice he received early on from a general - "Just do the best you can."   This he followed in the many different roles and responsibilities he successfully tackled, rising from the rank of lieutenant to major general.  His Army service fostered his loyalty to United States.  Recognizing that military service may not be the right path for everyone, Fugh urges for Chinese-Americans more of a "service to country" focus and greater political involvement in the American democratic process. 

	Fugh resides in northern Virginia with his wife, the former June Chung of Soochow, China.  Their children, Justina and Jarrett, followed their father's footsteps and became lawyers.