My grandfather was born and raised in China by his parents in the early 20th century, and when he grew up he became a sailor to support his family. During his time as a sailor, he ended up in New York around the 1940s, and because of the Chinese Exclusion Act then, he was detained on Ellis Island and had the choice of getting deported to China, or joining the Merchant Marines to earn citizenship. So he started serving in the Merchant Marines, and served in the North Atlantic since it was World War Two, working on merchant ships assisting in the war effort in Europe. It was a very difficult time on merchant ships since German forces would often attack them, and my grandfather would often see this happen, but he lucked out given the many times this could happen. The war soon ended in 1945, though he continued to serve for a few more years. He would eventually retire from service in the 1950s and start raising my dad in Brooklyn. Today, he is remembered for his service in the Merchant Marines, which is honored through an official US flag kept at home to represent his brave service and our status as a Chinese immigrant family of former veterans. If it weren’t for my grandfather’s bravery serving for the US during World War Two, who knows how my life would turn out, if at all?

– Joshua Ng

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant