Diaspora: Jimmy Suong, From Khmer Rouge Survivor to Iowa National Guard Pillar

In the endless prairies of Iowa, a quiet man has worn the uniform of the National Guard for over three decades. James “Jimmy” Suong, staff sergeant, is far more than a veteran: he is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide, a refugee who became a pillar of his community.

Jimmy Suong

His journey, blending childhood horrors and military dedication, inspires entire generations.

A Childhood Stolen by the Khmer Rouge

Born in Cambodia, Jimmy Suong endured the hell of the killing fields. As a child, he was held in a forced labor camp by the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), responsible for the deaths of about 1.7 million people according to UN estimates and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Like thousands of others, he survived famine, executions, and grueling labor. As a refugee in the United States in the 1980s, he joined the wave of Khmer-American exiles—over 150,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau—who rebuilt their lives far from their traumas.

Thirty Years Serving America

Joining the Iowa Army National Guard in the 1990s, Suong rose through the ranks to become a senior specialist in human resources and personnel. His deployments include a key mission in Kosovo in 1999 for Operation Joint Guardian, a peacekeeping operation under UN and NATO auspices that stabilized the post-Yugoslav conflict region (official reports from the U.S. Department of Defense). He has trained and supported hundreds of soldiers, managing operational readiness and human needs in the field. “He’s a rock for our troops,” a colleague testifies in Guard archives (iowa.gov).

A Leader for Asians and Refugees

Beyond the military, Suong shines in public service. A member of the Iowa Commission of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (iowa.gov), he shapes policies for refugees and the API (Asian-Pacific Islander) community, which makes up 3% of the state’s population according to the 2020 Census. In 2020, the Iowa International Center awarded him the Passport to Prosperity Award for his economic, cultural, and social contributions—a prize honoring immigrants “who transform Iowa into a land of opportunity” (official site iowainternationalcenter.org). He is celebrated there for his role as a mentor, helping new arrivals integrate.

A Storyteller for the Future

Today, approaching his sixties, Jimmy Suong speaks in schools, churches, and community forums. His stories—from the Khmer Rouge camps to military bases—motivate Khmer-American youth, a community of 300,000 strong in the United States (Pew Research Center). “Resilience means going from victim to agent of change,” he often says. In a multicultural Iowa on the rise, Suong embodies the American dream: from nightmare to leadership.