Susan Ahn Cuddy (original) (raw)

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United States Navy officer

Susan Ahn Cuddy
Ahn siblings, with Ralph on the left, Philip in the center, and Susan on the right
Birth name	Susan Ahn
Born	(1915-01-16)January 16, 1915Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Died	June 24, 2015(2015-06-24) (aged 100)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	San Diego State University
Spouse(s)	Frank Cuddy
Relations	Ahn Changho (father)Philip Ahn (brother)Ralph Ahn (brother)
Other work	Library of Congress[2]National Security Agency[2]
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	Lieutenant[2]
Unit	Link Training, Gunnery, Intelligence
Battles / wars	World War II

Susan Ahn Cuddy (Korean: 안수산, Hanja: 安繡山; January 16, 1915 – June 24, 2015) was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was the eldest daughter of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Ahn, the first married Korean couple to immigrate to the United States in 1902. She joined the Navy in 1942 and served until 1946, reaching the rank of lieutenant. She was the first Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy and the first Korean-American in U.S. Naval Intelligence.[3]

Early life and education

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Susan Ahn was born in 1915 in Los Angeles, California, as the eldest daughter of Dosan Ahn Changho and Helen Lee. In 1902, her parents were the first Korean married couple to immigrate to the United States. The couple tirelessly worked to liberate their mother country from Japanese colonization; Ahn Chang Ho would eventually give his life to that movement in 1938, after succumbing to injuries from his constant imprisonment and torture by the Japanese.[4]

As the family established themselves, the Ahn house[5] became a haven for many Korean immigrants. The Young Korean Academy (Hung Sa Dan)[6] made its headquarters at the Ahns' residence as a resource center for many Korean immigrants. Many exiled Korean patriots, including Soh Jaipil, the first Korean American citizen, visited the Ahns while they lived at 106 North Figueroa during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The third child of five, and eldest daughter, Susan always said that her parents' sacrifice and dedication to the Korean independence cause played a defining role in her own identity and values.[4]

During her youth, Ahn Cuddy worked for many of Dosan's independence organizations in Los Angeles. She attended Beaudry Elementary, Central Junior High and Belmont High School. She participated in sports such as baseball and field hockey. When she was at Los Angeles City College she was in charge of women's baseball, as well as playing second base. She played for the Bing Crosby's Croonerettes softball team. She had to stop playing to keep her amateur status to play college baseball.[7]

Ahn Cuddy graduated from San Diego State University in 1940 and joined the U.S. Navy in 1942, where she would serve until 1946.[8]

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Susan Ahn Cuddy tried to enlisted in the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service.[9] Her first attempt was not successful. On her second attempt, she was accepted and sent to U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She became the first Asian American woman in the Navy. This was when anti-Asian sentiment in the country was high, and women were still battling over sexism in the military. She told biographer John Cha, who wrote Willow Tree Shade: The Susan Ahn Cuddy Story (2002), "A lot of people thought that women didn't belong in the service. That made us try harder."[10]

Susan Ahn Cuddy in World War II

Ahn Cuddy felt that her enlistment in the U.S. Navy allowed her to honor her father's legacy of fighting for Korean independence and to fight against the Japanese who, she viewed as "predators".[11] She worked her way up in the Navy, becoming an instructor on Link Trainer flight simulators in 1943, teaching aviators how to maneuver in a simulator cockpit. Later she became the first female aerial gunnery officer in the Navy. In this role, she instructed male recruits in air combat tactics, including the techniques of firing a .50-caliber machine gun in the air.[12]

Ahn Cuddy eventually became a lieutenant and went on to work for U.S. Navy Intelligence and the Library of Congress.[13] She worked for The National Security Agency in Washington, D.C. During the Cold War, she was in charge of a think tank of over 300 agents working in the Russia section.[14] She received a fellowship from the National Security Agency to study at the University of Southern California in 1956. Ahn Cuddy worked on many top secret projects for the Department of Defense and other agencies during her service with the United States government until 1959.[15]

Even today, Ahn Cuddy's accomplishments are considered remarkable and unparalleled.[8][16][17][18]

Even in her personal life, Ahn Cuddy proved a trailblazer. In April 1947 she married Chief Petty Officer Francis X. "Frank" Cuddy,[19] an Irish-American. They defied anti-miscegenation laws and wed at the only place[15] that would marry them: a Navy chapel in Washington, D.C. Francis also worked for Navy Intelligence and the NSA. He was a code-breaker and helped the United States free Korea. He helped finance the Ahn family's Moongate restaurant business. In 1959 the couple moved to Los Angeles to raise their children and also in hopes of winning her mother's acceptance of her mixed-race marriage.[20]

The couple had two children, Philip "Flip" and Christine. Ahn Cuddy left the intelligence community in 1959, so she could spend more time with her children. Returning to California, she helped her eldest brother Philip Ahn (the pioneering Asian American actor) and sister Soorah run their popular Chinese restaurant, Moongate, in Panorama City. After Philip died in 1978, Ahn Cuddy largely filled the role of family representative, worked to archive her legendary family's records, and managed the restaurant until 1990.[8][18]

In 2003, the State Assembly of California of District 28 named Cuddy the Woman of the Year in honor of her commitment to public service. On October 5, 2006 she received the American Courage Award from the Asian American Justice Center in Washington, D.C.[21]

In her elder years, she remained active, speaking at Navy functions and Korean American community events, even campaigning for presidential candidate Barack Obama. A breast cancer survivor, she helped raise money for the cause. She was honored with numerous accolades by government bodies and nonprofits. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors designated a "Susan Ahn Cuddy Day". Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who introduced the declaration, was an especially devoted fan: "These were all firsts as an Asian American woman in a man's world... Anti-Asian sentiment was brazenly prevalent, but that didn't deter Susan Ahn Cuddy—she just knew what her mission was."[8][22]

Susan Ahn Cuddy died at her home in Northridge, California, on June 24, 2015.[23] She was 100 years old.

Her life story is the subject of the short biography Willow Tree Shade by John Cha.[3][8][18]

• Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, 1878 – 1938 (father)
• Helen Lee (Yi Hye Ryon), 1884 – 1969 (mother)
• Philip Ahn, 1905 – 1978 (brother)
• Philson Ahn, 1912 – 2001 (brother)
• Soorah Ahn Buffum, 1917 - 2016 (sister)
• Ralph Ahn, born 1926 - 2022 (brother)
• Francis Xavier Cuddy, 1917 – 1994 (husband)
• Christine Ahn Cuddy, born 1950 (daughter)
• Philip Ahn Cuddy, born 1955 (son)

Awards and recognition

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1. ^ Ha, Julia (2009). "Defining Herself". KoreAm (February 2009).
2. ^ a b c "Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Features Notable Asian Americans". Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. District of Columbia. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
3. ^ a b Keely Damara. "First Asian American woman Navy officer honored in 'Born to Lead'". PCC Courier. Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
4. ^ a b Lange, Katie (30 April 2021). "Navy Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy Carved the Path for Asian American Women". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
5. ^ "Ahn Family House > Korean Studies Institute > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences".
6. ^ Young Korean Academy (Hung Sa Dan)
7. ^ "Susan Ahn Cuddy: Asian American Trailblazer". lapl.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
8. ^ a b c d e "'Living Legend' Susan Ahn Cuddy Passes Away at 100". iamkoream.com.
9. ^ Sigler, Lora Ann (2022). Wartime style : fashion and American culture during 20th century conflicts. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4766-8718-6. OCLC 1285774735.{{[cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fbook "Template:Cite book")}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
10. ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (6 June 2023). "The Asian American Women Who Fought to Make Their Mark in WWII". HISTORY.
11. ^ Sigler, Lora Ann (2022). Wartime style : fashion and American culture during 20th century conflicts. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4766-8718-6. OCLC 1285774735.{{[cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fbook "Template:Cite book")}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
12. ^ Sigler, Lora Ann (2022). Wartime style : fashion and American culture during 20th century conflicts. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4766-8718-6. OCLC 1285774735.{{[cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fbook "Template:Cite book")}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
13. ^ Daniels, Paula (1996), Susan Ahn Cuddy Oral Histories, retrieved 2019-04-19
14. ^ "Navy Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy Carved the Path for Asian American Women". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
15. ^ a b Kim, Sung (6 May 2020). "Susan Ahn Cuddy: Asian American Trailblazer". Los Angeles Public Library Blog.
16. ^ "'Living Legend' Susan Ahn Cuddy Passes Away at 100". iamkoream.com.
17. ^ "Susan Ahn Cuddy". Retrieved 2008-03-12.
18. ^ a b c "Mother Didn't Speak to Me for Five Years…". Audrey Magazine. May 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-01-14. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
19. ^ Chief Petty Officer Francis X. "Frank" Cuddy
20. ^ "First female Asian officer speaks about her naval service". Navy Life. U.S. Navy. May 20, 2015.
21. ^ "Past Awardees". advancingjustice-aajc.org. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
22. ^ 도산 안창호 선생 장녀 안수산 美 자택서 별세 (in Korean)
23. ^ "Interview with Philip Ahn Cuddy". 26 April 2012.
24. ^ a b "Susan Ahn Cuddy, Lieutenant, U.S. Navy". Foundation for Women Warriors. 30 March 2020.
25. ^ Lee, Suevon (March 11, 2015). "Los Angeles County Declares 'Susan Ahn Cuddy Day'". Character Media. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

• "100 Years of Susan Ahn Cuddy". KoreAm. February 27, 2014.
• Cha, John (2005). Willow tree shade: the Susan Ahn Cuddy story. Korean American Heritage Foundation. p. 315. ISBN 978-89-953916-0-0. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
• Official website
• Susan Ahn Cuddy at Find a Grave