By: Maria Allard | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published November 19, 2025
STERLING HEIGHTS — Veterans Day “means everything” to David LeDuc.
LeDuc was living in a Vietnamese orphanage in the mid-1970s when he was rescued by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.
“I would not be here without the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to rescue as many children as they could from orphanages,” he said. “They are the ones that got me here and allowed me to start living the American dream. Without them, I know my chances of survival in Vietnam were very low.”
LeDuc shared his story during the Veterans Day celebration held Nov. 13 at the Warren Consolidated Schools Career Prep Center. Staff, students and veterans gathered outside the flagpole for a ceremony led by the members of the Polish Legion of American Veterans Post No. 169 in Sterling Heights. The event was held two days after Veterans Day, which is observed annually on Nov. 11 as a federal holiday. This year marked the 20th annual Veterans Day celebration at the Career Prep Center.
LeDuc is a computer science teacher at the school. He was born in 1973 with the birth name of Le Dinh Tuan. He was placed in the orphanage when he was an infant and has never known his real birthdate.
“My biological mom was probably a young woman who could not keep me safe during wartime. Most surrounding villages were decimated and destroyed,” he said. “After taking a heredity test, I discovered that I’m 50% Chinese on my biological dad’s side and 50% Southeast Asian on my biological mom’s side. That probably made my biological dad a Chinese soldier helping North Vietnam.”
LeDuc was among the babies and toddlers brought to the U.S. in 1975 through the rescue mission Operation Babylift. With just a sweater and a diaper, LeDuc arrived in the U.S. on April 28, 1975, two days before South Vietnam fell to communist forces. LeDuc was eventually adopted by his American mom and his dad, who waited for him at Metro Airport in Romulus. They also have three biological children and adopted a daughter from Guatemala.
LeDuc’s parents were always there for him. He majored in education at Oakland University and earned a master’s degree in instructional technology from Wayne State University. He and his wife have seven children. He didn’t know when he was born, so the date Sept. 15, 1973, was chosen for him. He also became an American citizen.
“To say that I’ve lived the American dream is an understatement. I have my dream job here at CPC. I get to teach students computer programming and help them make plans for further education, training and professions. Again, I’ve lived the American dream several times over,” he said. “Veterans Day is a day to thank the military men and women who served America. Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the many blessings and opportunities that America has afforded us. Students, I ask you never to pass up the chance to say, ‘thank you’ to those who serve.”
During the ceremony, Career Prep Center Principal Carlie McClenathan mentioned that the school’s graphic art students made the luncheon invitations and that the marketing students raised money for Mission 22, a national nonprofit organization that offers no-cost programs to veterans living with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma.
‘We appreciate the people’s respect to the vets.’
After the ceremony, everyone went inside the school, where the culinary art students made a lunch buffet of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, fried eggs, opened-faced turkey sandwiches with gravy and mashed potatoes, croissants, guacamole, pumpkin bread, and various desserts. The meal was prepared under the direction of instructor Jennifer Dulecki and paraprofessional Samantha Richards.
“They do get excited about it,” Dulecki said. “I like for them to go out and talk to the vets. It helps their skills. We want them to have eye contact and conversations.”
Cass Miciuda, a member of Post No. 169, attends the brunch every year for the “camaraderie.”
“We appreciate the people’s respect to the vets,” the 84-year-old Sterling Heights resident said. “It makes us feel good when we see young folks supporting us. We want to teach the young people that veterans are important. They wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms they have today.”
Miciuda served in the U.S. Army from 1962-64.
“I went in after the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he said.
The young soldier was stationed in the Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963.
“I was a duty driver on a 24-hour (shift.) A guy walked into our room and said, ‘Did you hear Kennedy got shot?” said Miciuda, who initially didn’t believe it. “That was a big shocker. The Germans felt so bad they started closing everything down. They were really upset and appreciated what Kennedy did for them.”
The Career Prep Center offers various courses, including culinary arts, engineering and graphic arts. The classes are in two-hour blocks and students return to their home school for their other classes.
On Nov. 11, students from Grissom Middle School in the Warren Consolidated Schools district showed their appreciation with “A Salute to our Veterans” from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Veterans were invited to drive through the schools’ bus lane where students gave them small gifts of gratitude. Students also wore red, white and blue to show their patriotism, and held up signs they made with messages that included, “We appreciate your service,” and, “We salute our heroes.”
According to the school’s Facebook page, the students were encouraged to wear hats on Nov. 13 to honor the military and to wear purple on Nov. 14 for all the Purple Heart veterans. The leadership students also sold beads during the week to raise money for Vets Returning Home, a nonprofit organization in Roseville that assists veterans in crisis.