A first generation American, Hong Loy was born in 1922 in Bristol, Connecticut. His parents immigrated from China to the United States in the early 1900s. Mr. Loy grew up in New York City and was later recruited to join the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.), during World War II.
Due in part to his fluency in Chinese, Mr. Loy was stationed with the O.S.S. in China during the war. His life and stories, including his experiences during World War II, are chronicled in his 2006 memoir titled “The Chinese Laundry”. Mr. Loy moved to Commack in the early 1970s.
Although Mr. Loy was unable to participate in a sit-down oral history with library staff, he was able to provide us with several images from his service. In addition, an excerpt of Mr. Loy’s book is available to read below.
The images and an excerpt of “The Chinese Laundry” below illustrate Mr. Loy’s life and service in the O.S.S. while stationed at a military base in Changting, Fujian province, China during World War II. Images courtesy of Hong Loy. “The Chinese Laundry” courtesy of Dorrance Publishing Inc.
