Asian Pacific Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is May 1-31, 2012. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad – of which the majority of workers were Chinese immigrants – on May 10, 1869.
This years theme, Striving for Excellence in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion was chosen to highlight Executive Order 13583 — Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce, signed by President Obama on Aug. 18, 2011.
Asian Pacific Soldiers have a distinguished legacy in our Army, from the courage of the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, to the distinguished service of Gen. (Retd.) Eric K. Shinseki, who achieved the highest position in the Army as the 34th Army Chief of Staff and who now, serves as the 7th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Prominent Asian Pacific Soldier and Iraqi war veteran, Ms. Ladda Tammy Duckworth, who served as the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, from 2009 to 2011, and Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, who was recently confirmed as the Chief of Engineers/Commanding General, United States Army Corps of Engineers. These great Americans, and so many other Asian Pacific Soldiers and civilians, clearly show that excellence in leadership and our diversity and inclusion are what makes us uniquely American and Army Strong.
To learn more about Asian Pacific Heritage Month, visit the U.S. Army’s STAND-TO! publication.
