REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- A witness to history gave a dynamic account of those events to members of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command as they celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the command's Redstone Arsenal headquarters May 30.

Chaplain (Maj.) Yan Xiong, Fort Rucker Garrison resource manager, is one of 21 student leaders who were on the Chinese government's "Most Wanted List" for being a student leader during the Tiananmen Square protest on June 4, 1989. Xiong's involvement at Tiananmen Square led to his arrest and imprisonment at Qin Cheng Prison for 19 months. He came to the United States in June 1992 as a political refugee.

"Today, I am privileged to be here with you, sharing this occasion in honoring the enduring legacy of those Americans whose roots extend from the soil of nations in the Asia and Pacific region," Xiong said. "Immigrants from the Asia-Pacific countries are amongst the newest wave to arrive in the United States in recent years. However, they are merely the latest chapter in the long history of Asian-Pacific Americans in our nation."

After coming to America, Xiong enlisted in the Army in February 1994 as a personnel service manager. He would later become an Army chaplain in 2003, author three books and receive two bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees and a doctorate degree.

"As we celebrate our rich tapestry of culture through events like Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, let us not forget that while we are a diverse nation, we are also a united one because we are all created by God," Xiong said. "Let us celebrate our differences but also appreciate our unification as a country founded on the belief that all are equal, and all are deserving of liberty and freedom.

"When I envision America, I don't see a melting pot designed to reduce and remove racial differences. The America I see is a brilliant rainbow -- a rainbow of ethnicities and cultures, with each people proudly contributing in their own distinctive and unique way," he added. "That is what America is all about, and Asian-Pacific Americans wish to find a just and equitable place in our society that will allow us, like all Americas, to grow, succeed, achieve and contribute to the advancement of this great nation."

Members of the command thanked Xiong for coming to speak at the event and talked about how important these events are in celebrating different cultures.

"Today's program was excellent," said SMDC G-3 Sgt. Maj. John Mattie. "Listening to the chaplain speak from his perspective about how America has treated him and how he has supported America through his service in the Army and as a chaplain was inspiring. The virtue of his life experiences is a bonus for him working with Soldiers of varying backgrounds and different ethnic groups and only makes the Army better.

"We have a great program here in SMDC for our ethnic observances, and I am proud to be a part of today," he added.

Members of the SMDC team were appreciative of the message and thankful to hear such a dynamic speaker and his message.

"Today was a great reminder of what our nation is," said Jason Scarborough, SMDC workforce analyst. "What got to me is the driving force behind his struggle. It was good to hear another brother in Christ talk about his career, and especially from someone who came from another part of the world.

"One thing that stuck out to me was his story about being in China," he added. "I have been to other parts of the world where they have protests, and they can get pretty violent. And the one in China was very historic. To meet Chaplain Xiong, and not just study about him in a book, is amazing to me."