Longtime Veterans Affairs Commissioner Reflects on a Lifetime of Service

Raymond Wong

Retired chief petty officer Raymond Wong gets a kick every fall when the Blue Angels roar over the city doing their incredible stunts. Fleet Week is one of Raymond’s favorite times of year when big Navy vessels give tours to thousands of wide-eyed kids and their parents.

Raymond especially likes the respectful recognition he gets from visiting young sailors — often a handshake and a salute — when they spot his impressive chief petty officer’s cap.

It wasn’t always that way when Raymond returned from combat in the Vietnam War to face hostilities when he enrolled as a student at San Francisco State University. But that was decades ago. Raymond has spent much of his time since then helping veterans get the respect they deserve.

Wong was appointed to the city’s Veterans Affairs Commission in 2001. It advises the mayor and the Board of Supervisors on all matters affecting local veterans. That includes suggesting legislation supporting, benefiting and honoring them. Today there are about 24,000 veterans in San Francisco.

Draft notice
In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, Raymond Wong was 22 and among the hundreds of thousands of young men in the United States who received notices to report for pre-induction physical examinations. And like many of them, he tried to figure out how to avoid getting drafted.

“I didn't bring my glasses on purpose,” Raymond says with a chuckle, “When I looked at the eye chart I missed a few of the letters.”

It didn’t fool the Army doctor, who told Raymond: “Young man, what you need is a good pair of Army glasses.”

Raymond retorted: “I don't need your Army glasses. I'm not interested in joining the Army.”

The doctor smiled and announced: “This guy’s a fighter. I recommend him for infantry.”

Many of Raymond’s friends in Chinatown were joining the naval reserves, and he decided to follow them in hopes of avoiding the Army by getting into the Navy.

A Navy career
Raymond was able to finish his college degree in electronics before enlisting in the Navy in March 1969. After graduating from advanced electronics training in July 1970, he was assigned to the USS Towers, a guided missile destroyer.

He started as a 3rd class petty officer, handling shipboard electrical communications, including navigation, telephone, and alarm systems.

Raymond served off the Vietnamese coast for six months. The mission was to supply gunfire support to troops on land to allow them to escape approaching soldiers. The ship was also assigned to escort an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin.

“We had incoming rounds that sprayed shrapnel near the ship on two occasions. But we didn't receive any direct hits, fortunately,” Raymond remembers.

Raymond left active duty in 1973 but decided to remain in the reserves, retiring in 1995.

Anti-War Hostility
Like many returning veterans at the time, Raymond encountered some anti-war hostility. His classmates at San Francisco State University questioned why he served in an unpopular war.

“I told them I felt it was my duty to serve my country, and I’m proud I did,” Raymond says.

After returning to civilian life, Raymond moved to the Outer Sunset, where he has lived with his wife for 40 years. He went back to school on the GI Bill and earned a degree in industrial arts from SF State, plus a teaching certificate for middle and high school, specializing in electronics. In addition to teaching engineering at City College part time for a few years, Raymond worked full time as an electronics technician and later a maintenance supervisor with the US Postal Service, retiring in 2008.

Appointment to Veterans Affairs Commission
Wong was appointed to the city’s Veterans Affairs Commission in 2001. One of Wong’s proudest moments as a commission member came soon after 9/11 when he appeared before the Board of Supervisors to support legislation making up the salary difference between what first responders had been earning when they were called to active duty after 9/11 and what they were being paid in the armed forces.

Raymond left the commission in 2022, after serving for 20 years. He says he is satisfied that veterans in San Francisco are being well cared for and is proud that he did his part. 

Reported and written by volunteer community journalist Tom Colin. We encourage residents with journalism experience, retired journalists, and student journalists in high school and college to volunteer as writers for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter. Interested? Apply here. Do you know a story you would like to see featured in the newsletter? Tell us about it here.