45 years ago today, my dad, alongside 261 other Vietnamese refugees, was saved by Captain Dana French and the crew of the USS Robison (DDG-12). It was my dad’s 7th attempt to escape. He boarded a 40-ft wooden cargo boat, risking everything in search of freedom. After 2 days stranded at sea, the boat was in a dire situation, until Captain French encountered them and made the decision to bring them aboard. That heroic choice saved hundreds of lives — and quite simply, made mine possible. My dad calls today his “second birthday,” because he was given another chance at life. After he made it to the U.S., he spent years scouring Navy forums trying to find the man who saved him. After 30 years of searching, he finally got in touch with Captain French — and I was given the gift of building a relationship with this extraordinary person. When I got into Harvard, I was thrilled to present Captain French with a Harvard mug. When I got my first job at Bain, he challenged me with a question I’ve carried ever since: “What will you do to serve your community? To make the world a better place?” This year, my sister @kimoftheinternet and I raised funds to place a bench and a red maple tree in Baker Park as a tribute to Captain French and his legacy. Words can’t capture the gratitude I feel for the life my family and I have been given — one that began with a single act of courage and compassion ❤️