Saren Thach graduated first of his officer's class in 1968 from the French-trained Royal Military Academy in Phnom Penh. He received a law degree (with honor) from the Faculty of Law and Economics at the age of 24. When the civil war broke out, he led his infantry platoon and special forces troops into many brutal battles. Once in America, he received a direct commission as first lieutenant from the US Army and was assigned to the 11th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Later, he worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency as an analyst before receiving an honorable discharge from the Army with the rank of major. Today, Saren Thach has a practicing tax consultancy and business advisory service with 44 years of experience. He and his wife of over 40 years live in Fairfax, Virginia. They have five adult children and a granddaughter.