U.S. Navy veteran's mom denied visa to attend son's funeral in Arkansas
A U.S. Navy veteran's mother was twice denied a visa to attend her son's funeral in Arkansas around Christmas, CBS affiliate WREG-TV reports. The U.S. State Department won't say why the visa requests were denied.
Ngoc Truong, 22, died Dec. 17, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia. He left the Navy in October after being in the service for four years.
Truong's father Hung Truong, a jewelry store owner in eastern Arkansas, told WREG-TV that his ex-wife applied for a visa to travel from Vietnam to attend their son's funeral. Each of her requests was denied.
"That's what made me fuming mad," Truong told the station. "Fuming. Why?"
The State Department told the station that it couldn't provide more details about the case.
"Visa records are confidential under U.S. law," a State Department official told WREG-TV. "We are unable to discuss specific visa cases."
Truong told the station that his son admired President John F. Kennedy's famous words, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."
Truong used words from that statement to express his frustration with the government.
"He's already done for this country, but what this country done for him?" Truong asked. "What this country do for him?"