Tulsa World: Petite Patriot

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Petite Patriot
New citizen a longtime flag-waver for the USA

Mai Cong Haworth stands in her tailor shop with the American flag that she received when she recently became a U.S. citizen. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World

By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
Published: 9/14/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 9/14/2009 3:21 AM

Whoever coined the phrase "big things come in small packages" had in mind people such as Mai Cong Haworth.

Although she stands 4 feet 8 inches tall, Haworth's petite frame houses a towering sense of patriotism and love of country.

She proved that on Sept. 11, 2001, as she sat in front of a television set and wept at the carnage and destruction from the terrorist attacks.

"I felt like someone had hurt my family," Haworth said of the attacks. "I felt like it was my house, and I had to protect my home."

Something boiled up inside her and she knew she had to do something for this "country I love."

So that very day she headed to the Army's recruiting office in Tulsa, where she tried to enlist for military service.

It was not to be, however, as she was 2 inches too short to be in the Army.

Despite the letdown, she clung tenaciously to that patriotic fervor.

Undaunted, Haworth, again that very day, headed to the Red Cross office in Tulsa to give blood for the upcoming war effort.

She struck out there, too, when it was determined she was too light to donate blood. She weighed just 76 pounds.

Haworth, 45, has been a tailor since she was 13, and for the past 10 years has been operating Mai's Custom Tailoring Shop at 6967 E. 71st St.

When she was turned down by the Army and the Red Cross, Haworth returned to her shop, sat there and still wondered what she could do to make a difference.

Then it hit her.

She

had altered military uniforms in the past, but this time she would do them for free for all military personnel heading off to war.

Haworth let her customers know of her plan, and asked them to spread the word. She also called the Army's Tulsa office, asking that it spread the word, too.

In no time, the troops began showing up at her shop — first the Army, later the Marines, and eventually all the branches of service.

Over the past eight years, Haworth has altered hundreds of uniforms, stitching on the badges, stripes, name tags and insignias on the uniforms, following exact placement guidelines for the respective branch of the military.

Some of the troops had offered to pay for her services, but she would have none of it. She saw it all as her patriotic duty.

Still, many of those troops remembered her kindness, and they would return with trinkets and novelty items from faraway places and present them to her as tokens of gratitude.

Her most treasured recognition is a certificate of appreciation from the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Air National Guard for altering scores of flight-line coveralls for crews heading to Iraq.

That certificate hangs in her shop, just below a folded U.S. flag that rode aboard an F-16 fighter jet over Iraq.

The military is in Haworth's blood, and she harbors a profound respect for those who defend their nation.

Her father, her brother and a brother-in-law were all combat pilots for the South Vietnamese military during the Vietnam War.

Even her husband, Patrick Haworth, is a petty officer 2nd class in the Navy Reserve in Broken Arrow.

She grew up in Vietnam during those war years and saw firsthand the ravages of war and the toll it took on the troops.

Haworth left Vietnam and joined her family in Oklahoma City in 1992.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the United States wasn't the first time Haworth found herself with the determination to help out in a time of need.

On April 19, 1995, a bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.

That night, Haworth and a friend delivered juice and other refreshments to rescue workers.

The next day, she and her mother went there and donated flashlights and burn medicine to the crews.

Haworth eventually ran errands for the rescue workers in the ensuing days.

For her efforts, Haworth received a pin of appreciation from the federal government.

Reflecting on what she has seen as her patriotic duty, Haworth said, "You don't have to be tall to help people."

She said the troops are sacrificing their blood all over the world "to allow me to work and take care of my family."

"People should do whatever they can to show their appreciation to them."

Even the smallest gestures, she said, are good.

Haworth recently became a U.S. citizen.

She proudly displays the small American flag she received at her naturalization ceremony.

Somehow, however, she had been a flag-waving American long before then.

Manny Gamallo 581-8386
manny.gamallo@tulsaworld.com By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment bm, Tulsa (9/14/2009 5:32:04 AM) What a touching story! You rock, Mai!
	Report Comment Graybeard, Tulsa (9/14/2009 6:31:50 AM) Is she not an example for us all? Mai is an excellent tailor and works very hard, long hours at her shop East of Sheridan on 71st Street. Always smiling! I never knew her story until this morning and am even more impressed with her...........
	Report Comment wilson, (9/14/2009 6:52:01 AM) Thank you Mai! Your story stands in stark contrast to that of my nephew, who when returning from marine basic training last month, was charged extra by the airline for his duffel bags carrying his uniforms.
	Report Comment Herbert Rogers, Jenks (9/14/2009 6:52:55 AM) Not surprising! Does anyone else remember South Vietnamese who imigrated to the US after the "War" ? They are/were fiercely loyal to America....unlike the Mike Jones type-of-imigrant.
	Report Comment olddude, tulsa (9/14/2009 6:54:12 AM) Welcome to your new home,we are very glad you are here,and are now an american,thanks for all you have done for our troops,we should all lend you a hand,thank you.
	Report Comment Michael Phillips, Tulsa (9/14/2009 7:54:34 AM) What an American!
	Report Comment SS_Hippy, Tulsa (9/14/2009 8:01:36 AM) If that story doesn't give you a lump in your throat, you need checked out.
	Report Comment Oldfatdude, Sim City (9/14/2009 8:06:34 AM) Yes, she is she an example for us all.
	Report Comment EagleMom, Classified (9/14/2009 8:27:19 AM) Hooyah! You are a giant in my book, ma'am! God bless you! We should all offer our services to the best people on earth - our soldiers. We can never thank them enough.
	Report Comment ajohnb, Jenks (9/14/2009 8:39:24 AM) She shows her true American Spirit. She is the example of what all Americans should be.
	Report Comment Eric, Tulsa (9/14/2009 8:48:03 AM) ... Very good story. And Mike Simons photo is excellent! ... .. .
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (9/14/2009 8:51:16 AM) SS Hippy, It sure did. ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- God bless Mrs. Mia Cong Haworth. Thank you for your service to our nations finest.
	Report Comment Army Brat, (9/14/2009 9:35:38 AM) You've made us smile!
	Report Comment true2form, Grand Lake (9/14/2009 9:50:41 AM) A great story about a great American!
	Report Comment honky donkey, (9/14/2009 10:06:14 AM) A good American! Thanks for a great story on a person who has done her best to live a great life.
	Report Comment FS, Broken Arrow (9/14/2009 10:21:18 AM) SR71, (9/14/2009 8:49:52 AM) Now THIS is the kind of immigrant we want! ____________________ I agree - doing things legally and with that attitude - wonderful. She's a far cry from those who our government hands towels to.
	Report Comment KansasSooner, Prefer the country (9/14/2009 10:58:52 AM) Thank you, thank you, thank you Mrs. Haworth, and God Bless you and your family.
	Report Comment LindyB, (9/14/2009 11:51:46 AM) Hats off to this young woman. I just wish that more Americans had her appreciation for this Great Nation. Most of America's people have not a Stinking Clue as to the life, and good things that our armed forces have afforded us. One should have walked the jungle in Viet Nam, the sand in Iraq, or the desolation in Afganistan, not to mention the young men that left their lives(as we all did) to fight WW2, and then tell America how really bad She is!! America is not perfect, nor will it ever be, but as this young woman will undoubtedly tell you, it is a far better place that anywhere else in the world. OOOOOH-RAH
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (9/14/2009 1:30:29 PM) What a wonderful woman. You are a true example of what a patriot is.
	Report Comment Moses, Jenks (9/14/2009 1:52:39 PM) Thank you Mai for all you do. We're proud you chose to move to America and stay. You are a wonderful example for our young people. May God bless you and your family.
	Report Comment Rvitajean, Tulsa (9/14/2009 2:12:40 PM) I have been going to Mai for a long time and never knew any of this about her. What a wonderful and giving person. There should be more of like her. Keep up the good work mai.
	Report Comment RAIDERS FAN, (9/14/2009 3:13:46 PM) GOD bless you Mai, You are truly an inspiration and a wonderful example and the world would most definitely be a nicer place if we had more "Mai's" in them than "my's". Way to go Mai, I'm copying this article and circulating so that others may see what a great and true American Mai is.
	Report Comment Mich098, Tulsa (9/14/2009 3:47:53 PM) This is a true Patriot. A person that actually gives of herself to help out the collective America. No name calling, no demeaning poster waving, no belittling, no shout outs at people who disagree, just steady work to help out.
	Report Comment Ron B, (9/14/2009 4:07:52 PM) Wish we had a few thousand like her around Tulsa.
	Report Comment Grand Old Partier, Owasso (9/14/2009 5:48:21 PM) Wow. Just wow. I'm trying to type this comment through the tears in my eyes. I'm so glad to have read this story. I plan to take all of my tailoring needs to her and will encourage my friends to do the same. I find her to more of a real American than many that were born here.

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