An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 25, 2013

Oregon National Guard wraps up State Partnership Program workshop with Vietnamese delegation

By Courtesy Story

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon National Guard concluded a State Partnership Program workshop this week in Portland, Ore., with its new state partner, Vietnam.

The Vietnam delegation visited several locations throughout Oregon to include a trip to the Oregon Capitol in Salem, where they met with Gov. John Kitzhaber and several state legislators.

Lt. Gen. Tran Quang Khue, deputy chief of general staff for the Vietnam People's Army, led a delegation of 14, who included experts in law, marine shipping, military science, finance planning and investment, and international relations.

Senior Col. Nguyen Xuan Kien, vice director of military medical department of the Vietnam People's Army, was also a part of the delegation.

The workshop also included experts in several fields including academics, economics, port and maritime security, search and rescue, and humanitarian aid.

"There are three of us here who in 1969 were on opposite sides of very serious circumstances," said Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, adjutant general, Oregon, referring to himself, Dr. Blair Craig, program manager for joint directorate of military support, and Lt. Gen. Khue.

Earlier in the day, Craig showed Rees and Khue a map of the region in Vietnam where the two generals had been on opposing sides during the Vietnam War in 1969 — Rees as a 24-year old troop commander, and Khue as a young combat engineer. They both recalled battles in the same areas on the map.

"We see a better way ahead, where people can share understanding and common goals in a peaceful and cooperative way, and perhaps all the sacrifice will have been for good in the long term for both countries," said Rees, "We have come a long way in 44 years."

The partnership between the Oregon National Guard and Vietnam was made official in November 2012. Oregon currently has both Vietnam and Bangladesh as its state partners.

The State Partnership program complements broader U.S. engagement with Vietnam in pursuit of shared priorities such as disaster relief, education, health, trade and the environment.

The program directly supports the broad national interests and security cooperation goals of the United States by engaging partner nations via military, socio-political, and economic conduits at the local, state, and national levels.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Blayne Flickinger, a medical technician assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th medical group, takes the vitals of a local resident during the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program: Operations Healthy Tennessee at Rhea County Middle School, Evensville, Tenn., July 10, 2025. The IRT Program is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) initiative that provides real-world, hands-on training opportunities for military units while delivering critical services to American communities in need.
Ohio Guard Participates in Operation Healthy Tennessee 2025
By Staff Sgt. Sarah Stalder Lundgren, | July 16, 2025
EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - Ohio Air National Guard members arrived July 9 in Tennessee to participate in Operation Healthy Tennessee, an initiative that offers the public no-cost medical, dental, optometry, nutritional education,...

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard, conduct civil disturbance operations (CDO) training at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Calif., June 11, 2025. California Army National Guardsmen in their Title 10 duty status train for crowd control and de-escalation techniques in alignment with legal rules for using the appropriate level of force. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission.
California Guard's 79th IBCT Activated as Brigade for First Time in History
By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck, | July 16, 2025
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – In a historic first, more than 2,000 Soldiers from the California Army National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were mobilized under Title 10 federal orders to support federal agencies in the...

A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the New York National Guard's A Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, prepares to lift an M-119 howitzer belonging to the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery during a training exercise at Fort Drum, New York, June 8, 2025. The 258th Field Artillery's C Battery will be part of a 246-Soldier New York Army National Guard contingent serving as the Opposing Force, or OPFOR, at the National Training Center from July 25 to August 3.
NY Army Guard Serves as Opposing Force at Training Center
By Eric Durr, | July 15, 2025
LATHAM, N.Y.  –  Two hundred forty-six New York Army National Guard Soldiers will go to Fort Irwin, California, the home of the Army’s National Training Center in the Mojave Desert, starting July 15.The Soldiers will serve...