Interview and Transcript by Malcolm Fenster
The Westword
What’s your name? What do you do here?
Mr. Ng
My name is Mr. Ng. I am a social studies teacher.
The Westword
I’ve got a few… questions I was asked to ask you here. So, I was mainly asked to interview you- just to drop the whole pretense, because you were gone for a few months and your return is kind of a big deal at the school. So much so that we wanted to write an article about it. So, I just wanted to ask… I know you’re part of the National Guard – as you explained in class – so I wanted to ask: where were you? If you can disclose that.
Mr. Ng
Yeah, so I was at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and I was there doing the basic officer leadership course – the acronym is BOLC – for military intelligence. So, back in 2020, I commissioned to become an officer of the Connecticut Army National Guard. I had previously been enlisted as a medic and this was essentially my “how to be an intelligence officer” course.
The Westword
How’d you become an intelligence officer? ‘Cuz you were originally a medic.
Mr. Ng
So, when I commissioned in August 2020 – to “commission” is to become an officer – you’re assigned a job, and I was assigned intelligence. So, I’ve been waiting to go to school since fall of 2020. And because of Covid and other issues, I wasn’t able to go until I left you guys uh, September 2022. It was a few years wait.
The Westword
They had you on queue? But how was it? I mean, it’s not exactly a vacation, it’s a serious mission, but how was the experience?
Mr. Ng
It was good. Sometimes, being a teacher, [that’s] one perspective of learning, but when I was gone for those five months, I was a student. I was learning from other intelligence officers and soldiers how to do our job and it was eye opening because… you know, I haven’t been a student for six or seven years now, so I came to class, I received lecture, I took exams, I wrote essays, so it was definitely a big change of pace – a big change being back.
The Westword
Would you say it just felt like you were going through high school again?
Mr. Ng
It’s like going through grad school but as an adult where I have responsibilities at home. You know, it’s only for five months so… [that’s] very kinda short period of time in life, right? You go to college, it’s four years, you go to grad school, it could be one, two, three years. So this is only five months, but I had fun down there! Arizona is a very different environment than Connecticut, and one of the great things about the United States is that we have all these different areas, and to be able to live there for five months and explore it was really fun.
The Westword
Favorite part of Arizona?
Mr. Ng
Favorite part of Arizona is the food. The tacos. I’m a big food guy, so whenever I go somewhere, food is always what’s kinda the biggest memory. Being able to eat… tacos, they have burritos, tortas, everything was just outstanding. Food was really good down there. And very affordable too! It was a lot cheaper in Arizona than it is in Connecticut.
The Westword
I’m aware after seeing the prices of some places here.
Mr. Ng
Yeah, I can’t believe eggs are eight dollars a dozen now. I feel like I’ve only been gone for five months and the price of eggs goes up exponentially!
The Westword
Last time something like that happened, the great depression happened.
Mr. Ng
I don’t think we’re gonna get into the depression but definitely something weird.
The Westword
So, just to expand on the question, favorite and least favorite parts of being part of the National Guard?
Mr. Ng
The best part is one: the education by the feds – so, the Connecticut Guard pays for any courses that I want to take that are within a Connecticut state university or college, including UConn. And then, it also provides a nice change of pace to life. You know, you’re put out there, you’re made uncomfortable again, you’re challenged in maybe a more physical way but also in a very intellectual way. There’s a lot of planning involved but it provides a nice change of pace, right? It’s just: I like to keep busy and it’s another thing to keep busy. A con? Definitely the time commitment. You know, sometimes I’m gone for three to four days and sometimes I’m gone for a few weeks. This past year I was gone for five months! It just throws a lot of curves in life… and sometimes those curves can be challenging.
The Westword
Do they give you a warning in advance? Like, “hey, we’re gonna need you to dispatch in like a week”?
Mr. Ng
Yeah, so it varies. Our normal drills are planned out every year. We get a schedule for the next upcoming year. But then there are cases where, say, there’s a snowstorm and they need soldiers to help – dig out highways, dig out buildings, hospitals, schools… That could be a twenty-four hour notice, right? It all depends on what the circumstance is-
The Westword
Like the severity of-
Mr. Ng
Yeah!
The Westword
-of the situation?
Mr. Ng
So, imagine five to ten years ago, we had a slew of hurricanes that were really rough, and those were like “Oh! We know a hurricane’s coming. We’ll put you on standby.” And then “Oh no! The hurricane hit! We need you guys to go out, help remove trees, help provide supplies or generators to organizations or hospitals that might need it – that have lost power.” So it’s all very dependent on the situation.
The Westword
You seem to have a lot of experience in the National Guard.
Mr. Ng
I don’t have that much experience. Mr. Stone has been in definitely a lot longer than I have. But it’s like any organization. Our job is not new, right? Like, the Army National Guard has existed for centuries. I think it is the organized military organization in the country. When you first sign up, they tell you what the job is. And then the missions- in Connecticut, we don’t have many natural disasters but down South, you know, especially like with flooding, areas that get hurricanes, tornadoes, the National Guard is a large presence ‘cuz it’s a large group of people that can help. So people definitely know the mission a little bit more. Up here, I mean this year we got zero snow, right?
Editors Note: This interview was done the week before Stamford received heavy snow on Monday night, February 27th.
The Westword
Basically nothing.
Mr. Ng
Yeah! And so, usually the guards are activated during the winter but this year, I don’t think once…
The Westword
Would you recommend students to join the National Guard?
Mr. Ng
Yeah, the National Guard is beneficial to those that need [the funding.] As I said before, they’ll pay for in-state tuition for any Connecticut university or college. So you can join at eighteen, you go away for initial training, when you come back, you go to a Connecticut state university or college, the tuition is paid for. Now you might need to pay for other fees, for housing, but the tuition itself is paid for. Tuition free- and then there are other programs that the National Guard offers to help mitigate the cost of college. On the flipside though, it is a job. Right? It has demands. It can also interrupt life with, you know, deployment, training, things like that. So I would recommend it for people who know what they’re getting into. I find that some people don’t understand what they’re getting into or- or, you know, it’s a lot for them to handle but if you, say, need a way to pay for college, and you intend on going to college… a state college or community college even, and don’t pay the tuition, I think it’s extremely beneficial. You know, it’s money!
The Westword
Did you know what you were getting into when you joined?
Mr. Ng
Yeah! So before I joined- I joined late. I joined after graduate school, but I had a few friends that were in the Connecticut National Guard before. Two of them are very good friends of mine to this day, and I picked their brain about it, you know, asked them “Hey, you know, what does a year look like? What does a month look like? How much work are we doing in between drills?” And when they answered, you know, I thought it was a perfect opportunity for me to serve, for one, but not have to join the regular army where you move around all over the place. You know, the Connecticut Guard. I live in the same town I grew up in and I intend on staying in this area for a long time which is a big benefit to the National Guard.
The Westword
Was there any inspiration to join?
Mr. Ng
My grandfather served in the Army Air Force back in World War II, but I had always felt a sense of duty [that] I didn’t really solve when I was younger. But when I got older, being able to advance my civilian career while also being in the Army- the Guard was like the best of both worlds. I could have both a civilian life and advance my career and be able to serve and do my duty to the country, right? And then not have to sacrifice stuff like my family, spending time with them, and living in this place that I want to live in. It was really just a perfect situation in balancing both a duty to [the] country and being able to have my own kinda life.
The Westword
So, you feel like you’ve sort of achieved a work/life balance simply for- you got a job that… helps with that?
Mr. Ng
Yeah, I mean, a work life balance, you’ll never really be able to create a perfect balance because life has a lot of change. I don’t have kids, and hopefully I’ll have kids one day and that’ll change the work/life balance again. Whether or not I stay in the National Guard for ten, fifteen, twenty years will also depend on that balance. But it does allow me to be home, which is great, right? I can spend a lot of time being at home.
The Westword
Do you prefer being here in Connecticut or being in other places like Arizona?
Mr. Ng
Well I love Connecticut. When I first met my fiancé, one of the first things I told her was “I will likely- when I pass away, I will likely die within twenty miles from where I was born.” I love Connecticut. Love it! Love it, love it, love it! Very fortunate to have Connecticut.
The Westword
It is, despite everything, it is a nice state.
Mr. Ng
Very- it’s a beautiful state.
The Westword
Love the trees.
Mr. Ng
Yeah, trees, we have the ocean, we have mountains, we’ve got everything but the desert, but we don’t really need the desert.
The Westword
Spend your whole life growing up surrounded just in the middle of the forest.
Mr. Ng
Yeah! It’s pretty great. It’s amazing. The fact that we can hike. Just like, a few minutes, get in the car, and you can hike somewhere. Walk out [to] your backyard and be able to hike. It’s awesome.