Proud to serve.

When asked why he joined the Navy Reserve, Donald jokingly says, “A midlife crisis.” The real answer: “My life was settled. I had a nice career. So it was time to give back to my country.”

At one point, Donald’s life was anything but settled, and the United States wasn’t even considered his country. Donald was three years old and a citizen of China at the time. As a teen, Donald immigrated to the United States. Eleven years later, Donald’s proud family saw him graduate from dental school. Today, Donald is Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for a Veteran’s Administration Hospital.

“I am very grateful to this country for all the opportunities it has afforded me,” says Donald. “That is why I decided to give back to it in a really meaningful way. I chose the military and the Navy Reserve because, to me, there is no higher honor than to serve.”

Donald entered the Navy Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander and has subsequently been promoted to Commander. “I plan to make Admiral one day,” he says. In his role as Commanding Officer, Donald oversees a Dental Department unit at a military hospital.

As a rule, medical and dental personnel are highly sought-after in the military. Here, again, Donald has demonstrated his dedication to his country by actively recruiting personnel. “I have guided several dentists, dental assistants and a prosthodontist into the military over the last few years,” Donald states. For his efforts, Donald was presented with a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

In his free time, Donald likes to travel with his wife Eleanor and their 11-year-old daughter Krystal. Donald also enjoys running and just recently completed his first marathon. A few years back, Donald combined his love of travel and running into a somewhat ironic twist of events. “Almost forty years after I left, I returned to China on vacation,” he says. “I put on my Navy shorts and went jogging up the Great Wall.”

Donald lives on the West Coast.