Iceberg, Goldberg…

"America: What a Country!"

I recently took our Chrysler to Hiep Auto Pro for repairs. As I was speaking with the owner, a very pleasant, young Vietnamese man, I noticed the last name embroidered on his blue coverall: Goldberg.

"I don't mean to be intrusive," I questioned, "but, how did you end up with your last name being Goldberg?"

"I was orphaned by the war," he said, "and sponsored into the United States in 1984 and later adopted by Mr. Goldberg. He's my father."

"So, you assumed his last name when he adopted you?"

"Not exactly," he continued. "At age 16, it came time to get my United States citizenship, I asked my dad what name I should use. My Vietnamese name is Hiep Nguyen, and I wanted to be more American. My dad said, 'Use my name.' When I got home, I told him I'd used Goldberg as my name and asked for his approval. He said, 'Idiot! I meant for you to use my first name, Gary.'"

And so, his name: Hiep Goldberg. What a country!