Remembering Duong & America Nguyen
"My dad's favorite thing to do was work on the yard. When we first moved in, my dad spent months, every day, physically pulling out every single weed in our 1.18 acres of land. My mom and brother would occasionally help out. He would then plant new grass seeds in our yard, making sure there was no weed left. After his hard work and determination, he was finally able to enjoy his lawn with great contentment. He also especially enjoyed mowing the lawn; he enjoyed it so much he would mow the lawn almost daily." - Virginia Nguyen (daughter)
— Virginia Nguyen
One of my brother’s favorite hobbies is playing the guitar. He started playing the guitar when he was around 13 years old. He would be one of the best guitar players in his class during middle and high school. He enjoyed playing fingerstyle acoustic. During the talent show and international night, he would always sign up to perform.”
— Virginia Nguyen
"My dad and brother would bond through work. My brother's very first job was at our dad's work place. My dad and brother would go to work together and my brother would help my dad out and learn new things. Sometimes at home, my brother would help my dad out with whatever he was doing. In this picture, my brother and dad are cleaning tools together."
— Virginia Nguyen
"My brother used to work at Walmart as a customer services manager. He was always very honest and caring to those around him. He would always goof around and have fun even though it can be stressful working at Walmart. Surprisingly, I was able to capture this picture of him goofing around on a motorized shopping cart while bringing it back to charge. Even though he's at work, he still manages to find a way to have fun."
— Virginia Nguyen
“Since the beginning, my dad has always been very determined and industrious. In order to make our home look complete, he created a wooden railing for our deck. He spent hours, day and night, building the wooden railings and painting it by himself.”
— Virginia Nguyen
"My brother and I have always wanted to have a puppy but our parents were not fond of having one. One day, he took me out to a pet shelter to look at puppies and he was instantly in awe with the baby husky. Unfortunately, we couldn't adopt her because our parents would not allow it."
— Virginia Nguyen
Shremshock said he’s still in shock. The men worked together as cabinetmakers for years. He's been in touch with Nguyen's wife and daughter, who returned from a trip to Vietnam when they got the tragic news.
Duong Nguyen became a U.S. citizen after fleeing North Vietnam, Shremshock said.
“He was a hardworking man,” Shremshock said. “He wanted to provide for his family, provide for his children, make them have a good future here in the United States.”
“I couldn't see anybody ever having ill will toward Duong or America,” said his friend, Phil Shremshock.
Family friend Sophia Abbasi of Manassas described the Nguyens as “very hard-working people . . . always there for anybody who needed help.”
“My mother was America’s (biology) teacher. He was incredibly smart . . . . He was an amazing kid, sweet and goofy.”
"It angers me that somebody would do that to such an amazing person, " said Jason Ewell, a friend of America Nguyen.
Jason Ewell says he struck up a friendship with America when they were both students at Osbourn High School in Manassas before America transferred to Stonewall Jackson High School also in Manassas.
"He just had this personality that was so vibrant and and bright," said Ewell, who is now in the Army stationed in Fort Lewis in Washington state. Despite their distance, he would check in now and then with Nguyen, and had even met his father.
"They were both such nice people. They're not dramatic people they don't do looking for trouble. They just stick to themselves and they want to succeed in life, that's it," said Ewell.
“He loved playing his guitar, and he was really good at it,” friend Kate Gagarin. “I distinctly remember him playing ‘Here Comes the Sun’ a lot, and I always think of him when I hear that song.”
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