Dr. Doug Hong
Dr. Doug Hong was born in Korea in 1941. By the time he was 9 years old, the Korean War had begun. He recalls being faced with extreme hunger that he caught insects like cicadas and flies to eat. As he was fleeing south with his family towards Seoul, bombs destroyed bridges causing them to seek refuge in a mountain in the outskirts of Seoul. His dad and uncle hid in a cave to make sure they wouldn’t be caught and forced to join the North Korean army, while the rest of his family found shelter nearby. Three months went by and UN troops reclaimed Seoul. Dr. Hong still remembers the horrid sights that laid in front of his eyes on his walk back home.
Looking back at his life, Dr. Hong was able to experience so many wonderful things: having 3 children, 9 grandchildren, deciding his specialty in radiology, becoming a resident and eventually a faculty member at Vanderbilt, and even having his own private practice. He doesn’t believe any of it was done solely on his own, but by the support he received from everyone around him. He hopes that he can continue to live happily and with gratitude with the rest of his family as they continue to grow and succeed in all parts of the country.