Susan Ahn Cuddy

Early life and education 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.

As the family established themselves, the Ahn house became a haven for many Korean immigrants. The Young Korean Academy (Hung Sa Dan) 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.

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

Career After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Susan Ahn Cuddy tried to enlisted in the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service. 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. As a WAVES, 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."

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". 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. 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.

Ahn Cuddy's accomplishments are noted in contemporary accounts. an Irish-American. They defied anti-miscegenation laws and wed at the only place

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.

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.

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."

Death and legacy

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

Her life story is the subject of the short biography Willow Tree Shade by John Cha.