Lê Nguyên Khang

Lê Nguyên Khang (11June 1931 – 12November 1996) was a South Vietnamese lieutenant general who commanded the South Vietnamese Marine Division.

Early life
Khang was born in Sơn Tây, Hanoi, Vietnam on 11 June 1931.

Military career
Khang spoke fluent English and was the first Vietnamese marine to graduate from the U.S. Marine Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico. In May 1960 President Ngo Dinh Diem appointed him as senior marine officer.

In early November 1960 Khang was commanding operations of the 1st and 2nd Marine Battalions in the Mekong Delta when he learned of the coup against Diem. Khang loaded his battalions on trucks and led them to Saigon where they joined companies of the 3rd Marine Battalion which had taken positions defending the Independence Palace.

In mid-December 1963, South Vietnam's new leaders removed Khang from his position as Commandant of the Vietnamese Marine Corps. Although he had not participated in the November coup that overthrew Diem, Khang had been a political appointee of Diem and as such was viewed as a potential threat to the new regime. After being promoted to Colonel, he was assigned to the Philippines as military attache. Lieutenant colonel Nguyen Ba Lien, who had been serving as Assistant Commandant and Chief of Staff of the VNMC, was appointed as Khang's successor, assuming command on 16 December.

The Marines together with the Airborne formed the South Vietnamese general reserve and had a significant political role to play in Saigon. Khang was allied with Air Vice Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, while General Dư Quốc Đống commanding the Airborne was an ally of Kỳ's rival General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu. The general reserve troops represented the real muscle of the Saigon-based Directory members and also constituted a balance of power between the rival officer cliques. In addition Khang commanded the Capital Military District which controlled Saigon and its environs.

In July 1965 COMUSMACV General William Westmoreland described the performance of the marines as disappointing, a problem he traced to Khang, "a poor leader [with]... influential political connections."

He was also appointed as commander of III Corps on 9 June 1966.

He was awarded the Silver Star for valor June 27 – 29, 1967 by the President of the United States, Lyndon Johnson, and was described by General Wallace M. Greene as "as one of the finest field commanders in Asia."

During the Tet Offensive in early 1968 which temporarily made Saigon itself a critical battleground Westmoreland pushed for the separation of command of the Capital Military District and the appointment of a new commander. While Khang was nominal commander his deputy, Colonel Giam, controlled operations. Thiệu agreed but once again seemed willing to stick with Khang and Giam. Appearing to both fear and respect Khang, he admitted to US Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker that "unfortunately we do not have many real generals who know how to command more than a division," including, he added, himself. In early June 1968 Khang resigned his Corps command after misplaced US helicopter rocket fire killed several Kỳ supporters observing fighting in Saigon during the May Offensive. Thiệu replaced him with General Đỗ Cao Trí.

In 1972 Thiệu finally moved both Đống and Khang out of their Divisions, transferring Đống to command the Capital Military District and Khang to a nebulous "special assistant" post under General Cao Văn Viên on the Joint General Staff. Of the two, Americans considered Khang the better commander, but his past alliance with Kỳ proved a major liability.

Death
According to Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps sources, Lê died in Orange County, Virginia, U.S. on 12November 1996. However, according to noted Vietnam War historian, Spencer C. Tucker, the place of death was Hope, California.

National honours

 * VPD National Order of Vietnam - Grand Officer BAR.svg Grand Officer of the National Order of Vietnam
 * Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order Ribbon-First Class.svg Air Force Distinguished Service Order, First Class
 * Vietnam Navy Distinguished Service Order Ribbon-First Class.svg Navy Distinguished Service Order, First Class
 * Vietnam Gallantry Cross, with palm.svg Gallantry Cross with twenty-three Palm, with one gold star,
 * Vietnam Air Gallantry Cross Gold Wing ribbon.svg Air Gallantry Cross, Gold Wing
 * Vietnam Hazardous Service Medal ribbon.svg Hazardous Service Medal
 * Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Leadership Medal ribbon.png Leadership Medal
 * Vietnam Staff Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Staff Service Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Training Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Training Service Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Civil Actions Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Civil Actions Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Good Conduct Medal ribbon-Second Class.svg Good Conduct Medal, Second Class
 * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon, with 60- clasp.svg Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1949–54 and 1960– devices
 * Vietnam Air Service Medal ribbon.svg Air Service Medal
 * Vietnam Navy Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Navy Service Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Chuong My Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Chuong My Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Administrative Service Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Administrative Service Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Veterans Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Veterans Medal, First Class
 * Vietnam Police Honor Medal ribbon-First Class.svg Police Honor Medal, First Class

Foreign Honours

 * 🇺🇸 USA :
 * Silver Star Medal ribbon.svg Silver Star Medal
 * Legion of Merit ribbon with "V" device (USN and USMC).svg Legion of Merit with "V" device
 * 🇫🇷 France :
 * Croix de Guerre des Theatres d'Operations Exterieurs ribbon.svg Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures
 * 🇰🇷 South Korea :
 * Eulji Cordon Medal.png Order of Military Merit, Eulji Medal