412th TEC Soldiers celebrate 'Samoan' style

VICKSBURG, Miss. -- Soldiers of the 412th Theater Engineer Command kicked off commemoration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month by wearing Samoan lavalavas during their Friday morning physical fitness session May 3, 2013.

The Samoan lavalava is the principal garment for both sexes in Polynesia, especially in the Samoan Islands, notably (Western) Samoa, an independent country, and American Samoa, a U.S. territory located approximately 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Monica Hughey, a local fitness trainer and Zumba instructor at Shape Up Sisters, led the Soldiers in an hour-long workout of kickboxing and Zumba fun. Although Zumba is of Colombian origin, music selection for this special PT session also included a mix of Asian and South Pacific beats by Tevaka, Samoa Jam and Psy, the Korean rapper whose horse dance and gangnam style is an internet sensation.

President Jimmy Carter designated the annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Week on October 5, 1978. 12 years later, President George H.W. Bush, turned the week-long commemoration into a whole month.

"The U.S. Army chose the month of May to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad by a majority of Chinese immigrants on May 10, 1869," according to the Army website.

Many Asian American and Pacific Islanders nobly served in the U.S. Army since the Civil War. During World War II, two Filipino regiments were organized in 1942. The 1st and 2nd Filipino Regiments saw combat in New Guinea and the Philippines and received battle honors for their actions.

Several Asian American and Pacific Islanders have risen to top positions in the U.S. Army. Retired General Eric Shinseki was the first Asian American four-star general and the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick is currently U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Both have provided strong, effective leadership and manifest the Army's spirit of inclusiveness.

Mrs. Daphney Cole-Smith, the 412th TEC equal opportunity specialist, underscored the importance of this month. "It is important to recognize different cultures," she said.

"This is the time to educate each other," Cole-Smith said, referring to the fact that misunderstanding another's culture is often a cause of friction.

Later this month, the 412th TEC will again honor Asian and Pacific Island American Soldiers, civilians and family members by serving food from the region, cultural presentations, and wearing lava lavas at time set aside during battle assembly.