Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Ming Chang, U.S. Navy

In 1980, Ming Chang was promoted to U.S. Navy rear admiral and in the process became the first naturalized Asian American to reach flag rank in that U.S. military branch. He was born on April 20, 1932, in Shanghai. His father, Yu Chin Chang, was a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy. When he was 14, Ming Chang immigrated to the United States with his mother so that they could join his father.

After graduating from the College of William and Mary with a B.S. in physics in 1955, Ming Chang enlisted in the U.S. Navy. In March of the following year, he reported for active duty on board the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CVA-16).

Chang’s wide range of subsequent seagoing assignments included serving as executive officer of the destroyer USS Hollister (DD-788); and commanding officer of both the destroyer escort USS Rathburne (DE-1057) and the guided missile cruiser USS Reeves (CG-24). His academic achievements during his longtime military service included earning a B.S. in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. In the final stage of his naval career between 1987 and 1990, Chang was inspector general for the U.S. Department of the Navy.

In the years following his retirement from the Navy, Chang worked as vice president and corporate director for the Pacific region of Raytheon and the president of MEC International, LLC. In 2010, Chang received an award from the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. Both of his children followed in his footsteps and those of his own father. His son Daniel graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979 and — after 22 years – retired as commander. Ming Chang’s daughter Donalda, for her part, served for 11 years as a naval officer.

Chang died on October 3, 2017, in McLean, Virginia, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 85. Chang was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on March 7 of the following year.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information on Ming Chang, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Chang