Fort Sill celebrates contributions of Asian Americans

By Monica K. Guthrie, Fort Sill CannoneerMay 28, 2015

Salidumay
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left: Janet Adams, Renelyn Winans, Blesie Ohlin and Racquel Colburn, members of the Filipino American Association of Lawton- Fort Sill, perform the Salidumay harvest-blessing dance, May 21, 2015, during the Asian America Pacific Islander Heritag... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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FORT SIll, Okla. (May 28, 2015) -- Thinking about her childhood brought tears to her eyes. Monique Leong sat in the back of the banquet hall fighting back tears during the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month luncheon, May 21, at the Patriot Club.

This year's theme was "Many Cultures, One Voice: Promote Equality and Inclusion" and as Leong reflected on her past she recalled times when she didn't feel equal or included.

"I got picked on a lot as a kid. I lived in a small town where we were the only Asian family. There may have been one African American family, too," said Leong who is of Chinese descent. "We didn't have a group we could identify with."

Today, Leong serves as the historian of the Filipino American Association in Lawton-Fort Sill where she feels her Asian heritage allows her to feel included while also giving her a chance to educate others, including the audience attending the luncheon.

During the lunch, which was organized by the Fort Sill Dental Activity Command, dancers from the Filipino American Association performed a harvest dance called "Salidumay" which is a dance of blessing for the fruits and vegetables.

Leong said she first heard about the heritage month last year but didn't attend. When she heard about the event this year, she made it a priority to come. She said events like the luncheon are important in securing a more inclusive atmosphere for future children, including her own.

"Events like these bring people together," Leong said. "It's nice because I see so many faces that aren't Asian but they are accepting of the culture. It just makes me feel good. I have three kids and my hope for them is that they are accepted and that they don't feel like outsiders while also remembering their heritage."

Retired Maj. Gen. Ted Wong, former chief of the Army Dental Corps, spoke at the lunch and said while he knows many people have felt discriminated against, he feels blessed to have never experienced it. Wong said it is because of the hardships overcome by Asians who came before him.

"I benefited from their struggle," said Wong.

He also spoke about the benefits of having a culturally-diverse organization whether it is the Army or the nation. He said having people of different backgrounds and cultures creates a high-performing team that will come up with creative solutions to problems as they arise.

"People will all see a problem and look at it differently because of their background and come up with good solutions," he said.

"But if you have people of several different backgrounds and cultures they will look at it even more differently and give you great solutions. If you give someone the opportunity to do well for themselves, they're going to do well for the organization, too."