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Asian American Veterans Association
http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=viewreport&Org_ID=370

Go For Broke (www.goforbroke.org): World War II Japanese American veterans

Japanese American Veterans Association (www.javadc.org)

3/6/13 Air Force News Service: "Hazel Ying Lee: Showcased Asian-American involvement in war effort"
by Martha Lockwood
    Fort Meade, Md. (AFNS) -- The Asian and Pacific island influence for the Air Force began during the 
early days of World War II when Chinese-American women were recruited to serve in the "Air WACs," 
a special unit within the Army Air Corps where Asian-American women served in jobs that ranged from 
aerial photo interpretation, to air traffic control and weather forecasting.
    The Women in Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) worked directly with the Army Air Forces during 
World War II, ferrying planes from factories to air bases, testing planes, and towing targets for aerial 
gunnery students to practice shooting. They also conducted qualifying flights for military pilots to renew 
their instrument ratings and copiloted B-17 Flying Fortress bombers through mock dogfights staged 
to train bomber gunners.
    Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman aviator, was also the first Chinese-American 
woman to fly for the United States military. She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots and was 
trained to ferry aircraft. She delivered transport aircraft, but she also flew more powerful fighters, such 
as the P-63 Kingcobra, to their destinations. Hazel and her husband were the embodiment of the 
relationship that the United States shared with our allies, especially during World War II. He was an 
officer in the Chinese Air Force.
    Whether it was an homage to her Asian ancestry, or simply a practice that gave her comfort, Hazel 
"named" each plane prior to its delivery flight by inscribing Chinese characters in lipstick on the tails 
of the planes.
    It was during one of these ferrying details that Lee, described by her fellow pilots as "calm and 
fearless," had the first of two forced landings. It took place in a Kansas wheat field. A farmer, pitchfork 
in hand, chased her around the plane while shouting to his neighbors that the Japanese had invaded 
Kansas. (Hazel was Chinese.) Alternately running and ducking under her wing, Lee finally stood her 
ground. She told the farmer who she was, and demanded that he put down the pitchfork. He complied.
    Sadly, she was killed in the line of duty ferrying the P-63, the last WASP to die in service to her 
country. She was killed when her plane and that of a colleague received identical instructions from an 
air traffic controller on their approach to Great Falls AFB, Montana.
    There's an Asian saying, "No strength within; no respect without." It's that inner strength that defines 
the women of the Air Force.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123338558 


2/3/13 Asian Fortune News: "Japanese American Veterans Honored"
    New Orleans, LA—To spread the story of Japanese-American veterans, the Congressional 
Gold Medal that was collectively given to Japanese Americans who served in World War II is 
on a yearlong tour, starting Jan. 11 at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. 
Irene Hirano Inouye, widow of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, attended the opening ceremony. 
The Smithsonian Institution organized the tour in partnership with the National Veterans 
Network, a coalition of Japanese American civic organizations. The medal will travel to 
seven cities until it comes back to Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_0213.php?article_id=2  


12/20/12 press release: "As Last of Eight Anti-Asian Military Hazing Trials Conclude, Asian 
American Civil Rights Groups Continue to Seek Reforms," 
    Washington, DC. – This week brought to a close the last of eight courts-martial of soldiers 
charged in connection with the death of Army Private Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Chinese 
American from Manhattan, who died in Afghanistan in October 2011 of non-combat injuries 
following weeks of bullying and abuse by superiors in his unit. OCA, a national organization 
dedicated to advancing the political, social and economic well-being of Asian Pacific 
Americans, and the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a member of the Asian 
American Center for Advancing Justice continue to seek policy reforms that would 
strengthen and protect all service members from such abuse. 
    On Monday, the prosecution in the case against First Lieutenant Daniel Schwartz—
Pvt. Chen’s platoon leader—accepted the defense’s request for non-judicial punishment. 
Such a deal avoids trial and results in the formal charges related to Chen’s hazing and 
maltreatment being withdrawn. Schwartz will now be separated from the Army through an 
administrative process. 
    “There have been too many cases of military hazing, and we must have reforms that 
protect those vulnerable to hazing in our armed forces,” said Mee Moua, president and 
executive director of AAJC. “Policy makers must act on the lessons learned from these 
tragedies to implement policies that are strong, comprehensive, and that send a clear 
message that harassment and abuse of service members will be met with serious 
consequences.” 
    Schwartz’s punishment follows seven courts-martial of other members of the unit that 
included convictions of maltreatment, hazing, dereliction of duty and assault. Punishments
ranged from demotions in rank, forfeited pay, restricted hard labor and short jail sentences 
(up to six months). Only one soldier received a discharge for bad conduct. 
    “Such punishments are too light and reflect a significant void in our military justice system,” 
said Tom Hayashi, executive director of OCA. “New legislative regulations on hazing can 
help ensure the safety of all men and women in uniform.” 
    U.S. House and Senate conference committee members will soon send a reconciled 
version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual defense budget 
bill, to the full Congress that contains provisions that address the prevalence of hazing and 
the need for prevention policies through the requirement of a military report to Congress 
and anonymous reporting. 


12/17/12 Reuters: "U.S. Army soldier faces discharge after Asian-American soldier's hazing,"
By Colleen Jenkins
    (Reuters) - The leader of a platoon whose members were accused of hazing an Asian-American soldier 
who killed himself in Afghanistan has been punished and will be discharged from the U.S. Army, officials 
said on Monday.
    First Lieutenant Daniel Schwartz was the highest ranking of eight soldiers charged in connection with 
19-year-old Private Danny Chen's suicide and the last to have his case resolved.
    Chen, the only Chinese-American in his unit, fatally shot himself in a guard tower in southern Afghanistan 
in October 2011 after enduring weeks of disparaging taunts and physical mistreatment from his superiors, 
military prosecutors said.
    Members of the platoon were accused of calling him racially derogatory names such as "gook," "slants" 
and "egg roll." Prosecutors said they threw rocks at him, dragged him across gravel and tied sandbags to 
his arms at the remote combat outpost where Chen began his first deployment in August 2011.
    His death prompted activists to call for more protections against abuse for Asian-American service 
members, who make up 4 percent of the active-duty U.S. military.
    Schwartz, who faced dereliction of duty charges, was punished through an Article 15 administrative 
proceeding that was not open to the public, officials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said on Monday.
    Details of his punishment were not released. As part of the disposition, the charges against him were 
withdrawn, officials said.
    He will leave the Army, though a decision has not yet been made about whether his discharge will be 
honorable or dishonorable, said Fort Bragg spokesman Ben Abel.
    Other soldiers accused in the case received an array of punishments after being found guilty earlier 
this year on charges such as maltreatment, assault, hazing and dereliction of duty.  The most jail time 
received was six months.
    Sentences included reduced ranks, forfeited pay, hard labor and short jail sentences. Only one soldier 
was discharged for bad conduct, a point of frustration for Chen's parents and supporters.
    Danny Chen was the only child of Chinese immigrants who live in New York City.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/18/us-usa-military-hazing-idUSBRE8BH00I20121218 


11/28/12 press release: "Asian American Groups Extremely Disappointed Following Light Sentencing 
in Military Hazing Case," 
    Washington, D.C. – The Organization of Chinese-Americans (OCA), a national organization dedicated 
to advancing the political, social, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), and the 
Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, 
are extremely disappointed with the recent verdict and sentencing in the court-martial of U.S. Army Staff 
Sgt. Andrew Van Bockel, who faced charges related to his mistreatment of Pvt. Danny Chen. Chen, 
a 19-year-old Chinese American from Manhattan, died in Afghanistan in October 2011 of non-combat 
injuries following weeks of bullying and abuse by superiors in his unit. 
    Last week a military jury found Van Bockel guilty of hazing, three charges of dereliction of duty and 
two charges of maltreatment. Despite the potential maximum punishment of four years and nine months
 in prison and a dishonorable discharge, Van Bockel was only sentenced to a reprimand, a demotion 
in two ranks to Specialist and 60 days of hard labor—45 already credited—with no jail time, and can 
continue serving in the Army.
    “Our community is truly shocked and saddened by the lack of accountability that has emerged from 
this trial,” said Tom Hayashi, executive director of OCA. “The gross negligence of Staff Sgt. Van 
Bockel was simply unacceptable and the sentencing is a disgrace to our military’s values. This trial is 
a strong indication that we must push for stronger reforms in our advocacy efforts.”
    Van Bockel, considered the ‘ring leader’ of the inappropriate behavior, failed to prevent harassment 
and abuse from Chen’s other superiors. These actions included racial slurs, rock throwing, kicking, 
and dragging him along rocks. Van Bockel taunted Chen with racial slurs such as, “Dragon Lady” and 
“Fortune Cookie” and ordered him to shout orders in Chinese to his own English-speaking platoon for 
no other reason than humiliation. 
    “The tragic mistreatment of Pvt. Chen merits much more severe consequences than the ones that 
have thus far been handed down to Staff Sgt. Van Bockel and others in their unit,” said Mee Moua, 
president and executive director of AAJC. “These sentences fail to deter the kind of treatment that 
cost Danny his life and send a weak message about the level of accountability and leadership to 
which soldiers at their levels will be held.” 
    Prior to Van Bockel’s court-martial, six other soldiers have been convicted on hazing, maltreatment 
or dereliction of duty charges in connection with Chen’s death. 
    “These consistently light punishments are eerily similar to the outcome of the Vincent Chin case 
more than 30 years ago, in which Chin’s killers served no jail time and merely received a fine, 
galvanizing the Asian American civil rights movement,” continued Moua.
    “We will continue to fight for what is right,” said Hayashi. “There will be justice for Pvt. Danny Chen.”


11/20/12 Fayetteville (NC) Observer: "Staff Sgt. Andrew VanBockel receives reprimand, reduction in 
rank in Danny Chen suicide case"
By Drew Brooks
    Staff Sgt. Andrew J. VanBockel will be demoted, reprimanded and forced to perform hard labor 
for his role in the hazing of Pvt. Danny Chen.
    VanBockel, 27, of Aberdeen, S.D., was sentenced Wednesday after a jury deliberated for about 
an hour and a half before deciding he should be rebuked, lose two ranks and perform 60 days of 
hard labor.
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/11/20/1219220 


8/13/12 New York Daily News: "Soldier on trial in Pvt. Danny Chen case pleads guilty, booted from Army," 
by Daniel Beekman
    The second soldier to go on trial for driving New York Pvt. Danny Chen to suicide was sentenced 
Monday to six months in prison — and booted from the Army on a bad-conduct discharge.
    A military judge handed down the ruling at Fort Bragg, N.C. after Spc. Ryan Offutt pleaded guilty to 
hazing and maltreatment for mocking Chen, who shot himself last year in Afghanistan.
    Offutt, 32, was accused of calling Chen "chink," "gook," "squint eyes," "egg roll" and "fortune cookie," 
and kicking and throwing rocks at the slender Chinatown native.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/soldier-trial-pvt-danny-chen-case-pleads-guilty-article-1.1135317


8/3/12 New York Times: "Military Hazing Has Got to Stop,"
by Judy Chu
    Last fall, at an outpost in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Army private, was singled 
out for hazing by Sgt. Adam Holcomb and five other soldiers, all of whom were senior in rank to their victim. 
They believed Danny was a weak soldier, someone who fell asleep on guard duty, who forgot his helmet. 
So for six weeks, they dispensed “corrective training” that violated Army policy. When he failed to turn off 
the water pump in the shower, he was dragged across a gravel yard on his back until it bled. They threw 
rocks at him to simulate artillery. They called him “dragon lady,” “gook” and “chink.”
    Finally, Danny could take it no longer. He put the barrel of his rifle to his chin and pulled the trigger. 
The pain was over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/military-hazing-has-to-stop.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120804


8/2/12 press release: "Asian American Civil Rights Groups Angered by Acquittal and Lenient 
Sentence in Military Hazing Case,"
    Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social, and 
economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is deeply angered and concerned with the
acquittal and lenient sentence in the military hazing case against Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb, one of
the eight soldiers charged in the hazing and death of Private Danny Chen. 
    In May 2012, OCA and the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a member of the Asian 
American Center for Advancing Justice, partnered together to seek justice for Private Chen. The 
current scope of work is divided between the organizations as follows: 
    • The OCA-New York chapter leads the grassroots advocacy efforts related to the Danny Chen case
as well as the larger reforms that requires pressuring Congress and Department of Defense, 
specifically with the Army.
    • OCA National Center leads on the efforts to engage with the Department of Defense, specifically 
with the Army, as well as the development of broader coalition efforts.
    • AAJC seeks to develop legislative strategies to push for policy reforms.
    On Monday, a jury acquitted Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb—one of eight soldiers charged in the hazing 
and death of Pvt. Danny Chen—of negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, communicating a threat
and violations of a military statute that prohibits hazing. Based on the jury’s recommendation, Sgt. Holcomb,
who was convicted of two counts of maltreatment and one count of assault consummated by battery, may
only receive a sentence of 30 days in prison, reduction of one rank, to specialist, and a fine of $1,181.55. 
Mee Moua, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center, a member of the 
Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, Tom Hayashi, Executive Director of OCA, and Elizabeth 
OuYang, OCA-NY President, issued the following statement. 
    “The verdict and sentencing recommendation in this case fly in the face of civil and human rights. It is 
absolutely appalling that following a campaign of humiliation due to anti-Asian bias by Sgt. Holcomb and
others that led to Pvt. Chen’s death last October, the jury would not only acquit Sgt. Holcomb of these 
serious charges, but recommend such a lenient sentence for his actions against Pvt. Chen. And it is 
quite disturbing that despite his conviction for maltreatment and assault, Sgt. Holcomb will be able 
to continue to serve honorably in the military, an honor he does not deserve. 
    Today’s verdict is reminiscent of the Vincent Chin case more than 30 years ago, in which his killers 
served no jail time and merely received a fine for taking Chin’s life. There was no justice for Chin and today
there was no justice for Pvt. Chen, Lance Cpl. Harry Lew or the many other victims of military hazing. 
The slap on the wrist for Sgt. Holcomb clearly demonstrates that these types of actions are acceptable 
in the military culture. As long as there is no clear definition of hazing that is punishable under military 
regulations, there will be future miscarriages of justice for victims like Pvt. Chen. 
    As a nation, we must come together and demand that Congress and all branches of the military adopt
stronger policies to deter and address all forms of hazing, harassment and abuse in our military. There 
must be a zero-tolerance policy. 
    • A clear definition of “hazing” that is punishable under military regulations.
    • Stronger accountability up and down the chain of command.
    • Stiffer punishment for failure to report harassment and abuse.
    • Protections for victims and whistle blowers of harassment and abuse.
    • Mandatory diversity training and inclusion practices to promote more diversity within leadership positions.
    • A comprehensive record-keeping system on reports of harassment and abuse.
    Six more trials and one more sentencing remain. We fully expect appropriate punishment that reflects 
that Pvt. Chen’s life was not in vain. We will continue to fight for justice and work to ensure protection for 
our military members.”
# # #
    The Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org), a member of Asian American Center 
for Advancing Justice, works closely with its affiliate organizations - the Asian American Institute in Chicago 
(www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) in San Francisco and the Asian 
Pacific American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) in Los Angeles - to promote a fair and equitable society 
for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and 
other underserved communities.
    OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social and economic well-being of
Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).


7/4/12 popehat.com
"Happy Independence Day: A Story About Becoming An American,"
by Ken White
    One hot summer in the early nineties, I was working as a summer extern for Judge Ronald S.W. Lew, 
a federal judge in Los Angeles. On a late morning in early July he abruptly walked into my office and 
said without preamble “Get your coat.” Somewhat concerned that I was about to be shown the door, 
I grabbed my blazer and followed him out of chambers into the hallway. I saw he had already 
assembled his two law clerks and his other summer extern there. Exchanging puzzled glances, we 
followed him into the art-deco judge’s elevator in the old federal courthouse, then into the cavernous 
judicial parking garage. He piled us into his spotless Cadillac and drove out of the garage without 
another word.
    Within ten awkward, quiet minutes we arrived at one of the largest VFW posts in Los Angeles. 
Great throngs of people, dressed in Sunday best, were filing into the building. It was clear that they 
were families — babes in arms, small children running about, young and middle-aged parents. 
And in each family group there was a man — an elderly man, dressed in a military uniform, many 
stooped with age but all with the bearing of men who belonged in that VFW hall. They were all, I would
learn later, Filipinos. Their children and grandchildren were Filipino-American; they were not. Yet.
    Judge Lew — the first Chinese-American district court judge in the continental United States — 
pulled his robe from the trunk and walked briskly into the VFW hall with his externs and clerks trailing 
behind him. We paused in the foyer as he introduced us to some of the VFW officers, who greeted 
him warmly. He donned his robe and peered through a window in a door to see hundreds of people 
sitting in the main hall, talking excitedly, the children waving small American flags and streamers about. 
One of the VFW officers whispered in his ear, and he nodded and said “I’ll see them first.” The clerks
and my fellow extern were chatting to some INS officials. The judge beckoned me, and I followed him 
through a doorway to a small anteroom.
    There, in a dark and baroque room, we found eight elderly men. They were too infirm to stand. 
Three were on stretchers, several were in wheelchairs, two had oxygen tanks. One had an empty 
sleeve where his right arm had been. A few relatives, beaming, stood near each man. One by one, 
Judge Lew administered the naturalization oath to them — closely, sometimes touching their hands, 
speaking loudly so they could hear him, like a priest administering extreme unction. They smiled, 
grasped his hand, spoke the oath as loudly as they could with evident pride. Some wept. I may have 
as well. One said, not with anger but with the tone of a dream finally realized, “We’ve waited so long 
for this.”
    And oh, how they had waited. These men, born Filipinos, answered America’s call in World War II
and fought for us. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the men of the Philippines to fight, promising
them United States citizenship and veterans benefits in return. 200,000 fought. Tens of thousands 
died. They weathered the brutal conditions under Japanese occupation, fought a valiant guerrilla war,
and in some cases survived the Bataan death march.
    In 1946, Congress reneged on FDR’s promise. Filipino solders who fought for us and their families
were not given their promised citizenship, let alone benefits. Many came here anyway, had children 
who were born U.S. citizens, and some even became citizens through the process available to any 
immigrant. But many others, remembering the promise, asked that it be kept. And they waited.
    They waited 54 years, until after most of them were gone. It was not until 1990 that Congress finally 
addressed this particular stain on our honor and granted them citizenship. (They never received their
promised benefits, and never will. Some received lump sum payments of up to $15,000 in 2009 under
the unpopular stimulus bill, some 68 years after more complete benefits were promised. Most of the 
happy men I saw that day 20 years ago are dead.)
    Hence this July naturalization ceremony. After Judge Lew naturalized the veterans who were too 
weak to stand in the main ceremony, he quickly took the stage in the main room. A frantic, joyous hush
descended, and the dozens of veterans stood up and took the oath. Many wept. I kept getting 
something in my goddamn eye. And when Judge Lew declared them citizens, the families whooped 
and hugged their fathers and grandfathers and the children waved the little flags like maniacs.
    I had the opportunity to congratulate a number of families and hear them greet Judge Lew. I heard 
expressions of great satisfaction. I heard more comments about how long they had waited. But I did 
not hear bitterness on this day. These men and their children had good cause to be bitter, and perhaps
on other days they indulged in it. On this day they were proud to be Americans at last. Without 
forgetting the wrongs that had been done to them, they believed in an America that was more than the
sum of its wrongs. Without forgetting 54 years of injustice, they believed in an America that had the 
potential to transcend its injustices. I don’t know if these men forgave the Congress that betrayed 
them and dishonored their service in 1946, or the subsequent Congresses and administrations too 
weak or indifferent to remedy that wrong. I don’t think that I could expect them to do so. But whether or 
not they forgave the sins of America, they loved the sinner, and were obviously very proud to become 
her citizens.
    I am tremendously grateful to Judge Lew for taking me to that ceremony, and count myself privileged 
to have seen it. I think about it every Fourth of July, and more often than that. It reminds me that people 
have experienced far greater injustice than I ever will at this country’s hands, and yet are proud of it 
and determined to be part of it. They are moved by what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature 
to believe in the shared idea of what America should be without abandoning the struggle to right its 
wrongs. I want to be one of them.
http://www.popehat.com/2012/07/04/happy-independence-day-a-story-about-becoming-american/ 


4/11/12 New York Times: "Any Trial in Soldier’s Death Would Be at Fort Bragg,"
By Kirk Semple
    Trials of the service members implicated in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, the soldier from Manhattan 
who apparently killed himself last fall in Afghanistan, will be held at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, if senior 
military officials decide courts-martial are warranted, the American military said Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/nyregion/any-trials-in-pvt-danny-chens-death-will-be-in-us-military-says.html?_r=1  


2/21/12 Washington Post: "Asian American soldier’s suicide called a ‘wake-up call’ for the military,"
By Deepti Hajela
    New York — The harassment of Danny Chen, 19, started in basic training — teasing about his name, 
repeated questions of whether he was from China, even though he was a born-and-raised New Yorker. 
He wrote in his journal that he was running out of jokes to respond with.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/asian-american-soldiers-suicide-called-a-wake-up-call-for-the-military/2012/02/19/gIQA7Ke4QR_story.html 

1/31/12 MSNBC: "Marine gets 30 days in hazing case linked to suicide"
    Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii — A Marine accused of hazing a colleague who later committed suicide in 
Afghanistan was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail and a reduction in rank.
    Navy Capt. Carrie Stephens, the judge in Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby's special court-martial, handed 
down the sentence after Jacoby pleaded guilty to assault.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46199903/ns/us_news-security/t/marine-gets-days-hazing-case-linked-suicide/#.UBpsxo43TZY


1/6/12 New York Times: "An Asian-American Veteran Reflects on When Discipline Becomes Hazing,"
by Tim Hsia
    The deaths of Army Private Danny Chen and Marine Lance Corporal Harry Lew have sent shock 
waves through Asian-American communities. Eight U.S. Army service members have been charged 
with hazing-related crimes against Private Chen, a Chinese-American soldier and, like me, the son 
of Chinese immigrants.
    The circumstances surrounding Private Chen’s death have raised many issues in my mind such 
as the line between hazing and discipline, and the perceptions of Asian-Americans toward military 
service.
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/an-asian-american-veteran-reflects-on-when-discipline-becomes-hazing/


12/21/11 New York Times: "8 Charged in Death of Fellow Soldier, U.S. Army Says,"
By Kirk Semple
    Eight American soldiers were charged with manslaughter and an array of other crimes in connection
with the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, a fellow soldier from New York whose body was found in October 
lying in a guard tower in southern Afghanistan, the United States Army said in a statement Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/us/8-charged-in-death-of-fellow-soldier-us-army-says.html?hp#comments



11/29/11 press release: "Veteran shares life lessons, experiences from years of military service,"
"Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian-American Stumbling Around U.S. Army Special Forces" 
by Chester Wong relates his memories from his time in the military
    Cupertino, Calif. -- In "Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian-American Stumbling Around U.S. Army 
Special Forces" (ISBN 146352949X), Chester Wong shares his experiences in the U.S. Army in a unique 
balance of serious and lighthearted memories. Written for civilians with an interest in the Army, Wong hopes 
to portray soldiers as normal human beings rather than the robotic machines that people often misjudge 
them to be.
    Wong recounts his memories as an Asian-American in the U.S. Army Special Forces through a series 
of short stories. Some of the stories are intentionally humorous, showing the author as the butt of his jokes, 
while others are more dramatic, revealing a life lesson that Wong learned or observed along the way
    After spending 12 years in the Army, Wong struggled to make the transformation from military life to 
civilian life. He wrote a blog about his experiences to cope with his feelings, and his family encouraged 
him to keep writing, which inspired this record of war stories and actually aided him in moving forward.
    "I hope that these stories are not only entertaining but also provide color and personality to a Special 
Forces operator, and illustrate him as a human being more than just some kind of professionally trained 
killer," Wong says.
    Wong believes his book will also shed a unique light on military service from the perspective of an 
Asian-American. He hopes that "Yellow Green Beret" helps readers look at military personnel differently, 
while providing them with lighthearted yet important life lessons along the way.
    "Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian American Stumbling Around U.S. Army Special Forces" is 
available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
    About the Author: After growing up in Northern California, Chester Wong attended the United States 
Military Academy at West Point, and served in the United States Army for more than eight years as an 
Armor and Special Forces officer. He served and was deployed in four combat tours to Iraq and the 
Philippines, and received several medals for his accomplishments.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Chester Wong
www.yellowgreenberet.com 
www.chester-wong.com


9/9/11 press release: Senator Inouye Introduces Legislation To Fund National
September 11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero
    Washington: Senator Daniel K. Inouye introduced legislation today to provide federal funds 
for the operation and maintenance of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at 
Ground Zero.
    The legislation allows the United States, through the Secretary of the Interior, to take ownership 
of the lands, the Memorial and the Museum, after the appropriate approvals are secured from the 
Governor of the State of New York, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, and the Mayor of 
New York City.
    The Department of the Interior will enter into a cooperative agreement with the Board of the 
non-profit National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Inc., which 
may provide technical and financial assistance to the Memorial and Museum relating to its 
operations and maintenance.
    The legislation would authorize appropriations of $20 million in FY 2013, the first full fiscal year 
after which the Museum is scheduled to open to the public, and in subsequent years.
    All funds appropriated must be matched by non-Federal sources, such as admission fees, 
gifts and fundraising, with the resulting Federal share being about 33% or less of the overall 
budget of the Memorial and Museum.
    “I thank Senator Inouye for his support of the memorial and his leadership on this issue. Millions 
of people from across the country and around the world will come to visit the memorial. It is truly 
a national monument in New York and I appreciate the Senator’s work to bring federal support 
to help ensure all who want to come and visit the memorial can for generations to come,” said 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
    “The 9/11 Memorial is for our city, the nation, and the world. Senator Inouye’s legislation is an 
important part of securing the legacy of 9/11. We hope that Congress will come together in the 
same spirit of unity that we saw in the aftermath of the attacks to support the Memorial. This tribute
ensures that future generations will understand the enormous loss suffered, the sacrifices made, 
and the resilience that defined our nation’s response to the attacks,” said New York City Mayor 
Michael R. Bloomberg, Chair of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
    “We are grateful to Senator Inouye for his leadership in supporting one of our nation’s most 
sacred sites – the National September 11 Memorial. With the support of Congress, we as a 
country can fulfill our obligation to never forget and to preserve the history of 9/11 and our country’s
response in the aftermath,” said Joe Daniels, President and CEO of the National September 11 
Memorial & Museum.



9/12/11 New York Daily News: "Chinese immigrant Vietnam War vet Fang Wong becomes head of 
American Legion veterans association,"
BY Daniel Beekman
    When Fang Wong left Hong Kong as a kid to live and toil in a Harlem Laundromat 50 years ago, he 
never dreamed he'd become the most important veterans' advocate in the United States.
    But on Sept. 1, the Chinese immigrant was elected National Commander of the American Legion, 
a mutual aid organization 2.4 million-vets strong.
    "I feel humble and honored," said Wong, 63, a gray-haired Vietnam vet with an easy smile. "I really 
don't feel different. I'm still me - I want to do my utmost to help however I can."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/uptown/2011/09/12/2011-09-12_his_achievements_are_legiondary.html
 


8/30/11 ourchinatown.org: "Since 1940s, Chinese-American Veterans Supports Their Own and 
Chinatown,"
by Shirley Lew 
    Gabe Mui, Adjutant of the Lt. B.R. Kimlau Chinese Memorial Post 1291, The American Legion in 
Chinatown is in his office when we met. As an adjutant, Mui is a staff officer assisting a higher-ranking 
officer in administrative affairs. His position is similar to a director, managing a local chapter under the 
affairs of American Legion’s state department, which is overseen by its headquarters in Indiana.
    Born in China, Mui was stationed in Germany as a transportation specialist during the Vietnam War, 
though he was never in combat. His office is filled with file cabinets, books, papers and more, most likely 
a collection of his predecessors.
    Fang A. Wong for National Commander
http://www.ourchinatown.org/2011/08/30/veteranssupportingownandchinatown/ 


4/20/11 Voice of America
"Historian Recounts Role of Chinese Americans Who Fought In US Civil War,"
by Dave DeForest 
    Many people would be surprised to know that there were some Asian faces in the crowds of white and 
black soldiers serving in the American Civil War.
    The participation of Asians, and in particular Chinese Americans, comes into focus this month as the 
United States marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the war.
    It began in 1861 after the election of an anti-slavery president, Abraham Lincoln. Fearing the eventual 
abolition of slavery, eleven southern states bolted from the union, setting up the pro-slavery Confederate 
States of America.
    The rebels resisted military efforts by the North to bring them back into the union, sparking four years 
of war that left more than 600,000 people dead.
    Even though there were only about 200 Chinese-Americans living in the eastern United States at the 
time, 58 of them fought in the Civil War. Because of their previous experiences at sea, many of them 
served in the U.S. Navy.
    Only one Chinese-American soldier was actually born on American soil. The rest had come to the 
U.S. through the Pacific slave trade, adoption by Americans, independent immigration or the influence 
of missionaries.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Surprise-Asians-Fought-In-The-US-Civil-War-120282254.html 


8/23/11 Sacramento Bee: "Taiwan to honor Locke native for WWII heroism,"
By Stephen Magagnini
    Today, 67 years after Capt. William Chow King – a Chinese American from Locke – rescued his 
flight commander in China from a swarm of eight Japanese fighter planes, the Taiwanese government 
will give his widow Ruby Chann two long-overdue medals.
    One of the elite Flying Tigers – an all-volunteer force of U.S. flyers battling the Japanese – the 
easygoing King died Jan. 1, 2002 at 86, planning to take his war secrets with him.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/23/3854637/taiwan-to-honor-locke-native-for.html 



2/1/11 AsianWeek: "Chinese American Hero: Major Kurt Chew-Een Lee,"
By Michael Robison
    Chinese American Heroes and American Legion Cathay Post 384 honors the United States Marine 
Corps and their heroism at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, in particular that of then 1st Lieutenant 
Kurt Chew-Een Lee.
    Lee holds the distinction of being the first regular Marine Corps officer of Asian descent in nearly 
200 years of proud Marine Corps history. He accepted the challenges and demands to prove his fitness
to hold officer rank and to lead U.S. Marines into battle. Major Lee undertook a self-imposed mission 
to consciously demolish the fallacious thinking spread by Hollywood movies that the Chinese, as a race,
are too meek, obsequious and subservient to make good soldiers. By distinguishing himself as an 
effective, fearless leader in battle under the harshest of combat conditions, he opened the Marine Corps
towards accepting more racial minorities into its officer ranks.
www.asianweek.com/2011/02/01/chinese-american-hero-major-kurt-chew-een-lee/ 


1/13/11 Northwest Asian Weekly: "Jimmy Locke: Veteran, husband, father, and businessman,"
    Jimmy Locke, born Youh K. Locke, passed away on Jan. 5 in Seattle.
    Locke was born on Oct. 15, 1917, in Taishan, Guangdong Province, China. He was born into 
a family of 10 children. He immigrated to Seattle at age 13 with his father and brother.
    He served as staff sergeant in the Fifth Armored Division during WWII. He saw action in the 
battles of Ardennes, Normandy Beach, and the Rhineland.
    “I was drafted before Pearl Harbor in 1940,” Locke wrote in “Reflections of Seattle’s Chinese
Americans,” a Chinese oral history book. “When you’re drafted, you have to tell what you do. 
I said I’m a cook, so they put me in the kitchen. 
… We eat good, I’ll tell you that! Steak all the time.”
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2011/01/jimmy-locke-veteran-husband-father-and-businessman/ 


11/14/10 "Neto's Tucson: Chinese-American vet, like others here, joined WWII efforts,"
by Ernesto Portillo Jr.
    When Edward Chan was a University of Arizona freshman, his acceptance letter came. The U.S. Army 
accepted him to flight-training school.  It was 1942, less than a year after the United States had entered 
World War II.
    A number of young Tucson men and women had gone to war or would go soon.  Chan, who had 
graduated from Tucson High School earlier that year, was one of a handful of Chinese Americans who 
went to war.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_79446ed6-ae65-57d3-bcc0-7bcd0d30d9f8.html

9/22/10 Northwest Asian Weekly: "Decades later, Flying Tigers receive a hero’s
welcome at home in Seattle," 
by Sarah Yee 
    At their 24th formal reunion, Wayne Wong and his friends recollected serving as 
Flying Tigers. They belonged to the 14th Air Force and the 987th Signal Company — 
the only all-Chinese American units that served the U.S. Army during World War II.
    In 1945, they were received by Seattle’s Chinese American community with a hero’s
welcome upon returning from duty. Last week, the city of Seattle welcomed them once
again during their annual reunion.
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2010/09/decades-later-flying-tigers-receive-a-hero%E2%80%99s-welcome-at-home-in-seattle/  


6/21/10 NPR: "More Asian-Americans Signing Up For The Army,"
by Lonny Shavelson
    In the U.S. Army, Asian-Americans have typically volunteered at the lowest rate of any 
ethnic group.  They make up 4 percent of the population, and only 1 percent of military 
recruits.
    But that seems to be changing. Something is suddenly drawing Asian-Americans in 
California into the Army at a remarkable rate. And there have been similar increases in 
other Asian-American population centers, like Seattle and New York.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127986892

5/31/10 Los Angeles Times: "A tale of Korean War heroism: U.S. Marine Chew-Een 
Lee's bravery at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir is a focus of Smithsonian Channel 
documentary,"
by Tony Perry 
    When Chew-Een Lee was growing up in western Sacramento during World War II, 
he was eager to enlist in the military to fight for his country. He joined the ROTC in high 
school and enlisted in the Marine Corps as soon as he graduated. 
    "I wanted to dispel the notion about the Chinese being meek and obsequious," said
Lee, whose father was a farmer and prominent figure in the Chinese community in 
Northern California.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/31/entertainment/la-et-chosin-20100531 


5/28/10 huffingtonpost.com and VictoriaMoy.net: "You Must Remember This"
by Victoria Moy
    Surrounded by an abundance of Cantonese-style roast meats and lomein, as well as 
the standard American Thanksgiving fare of turkey and cranberry sauce, I stare up at 
a wall lined with portraits of Chinese men in military uniforms and squadron hats. The 
room is decorated with award plaques, photos of soldiers, and the American flag. 
While Grandpa shoots the breeze with hordes of other Chinese grandpas who wear 
fedoras and speak Dick Tracy style (like the black-and-white Hollywood movies--in old 
timer's slang and accents), Grandma chats gaily with the other wives in sing-song 
Toishanese (a dialect of Cantonese). Within that one room, there's a men's language, 
and a women's language; an "English world" and "Chinese world." I don't get why 
grandpas speak English and grandmas speak Chinese, why there's a linguistic divide
along gender lines in my grandparents' 
generation. This is my life growing up in New York's Chinatown in the 1980s.
    The Thanksgiving and Christmas parties my grandparents took me to were at the 
American Legion on Canal Street, which Chinese American vets set up in Chinatown
after World War II.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victoria-moy/you-must-remember-this_b_593748.html 

5/28/10 Bergen County, New Jersey Record: "Fallen soldier memorialized at ceremony 
in River Vale," 
by Brian Aberback
    River Vale -Min Soo Choi died in Iraq trying to spread the freedom that allowed him 
and his family to come here - the same freedom that American soldiers died for in 
Choi's native Korea more than 50 years ago.
    Army Pfc. Choi's sacrifice, and that of all veterans, was honored Saturday at a 
ceremony following the township's Memorial Day parade at Veterans Memorial Park.
http://www.northjersey.com/fromourarchives/95144749_Fallen_soldier_memorialized_at_ceremony_in_River_Vale.html 
 

12/16/09 Los Angeles Times: "Asian Americans drive Army recruiting boom in L.A.: 
Asians have traditionally joined the military at the lowest rate among all races, but -- 
lured by job security, college aid and, for some, citizenship -- they are signing up in larger 
numbers. Their enlistments rose 80% in L.A. County."
by Teresa Watanabe
    On a chilly Saturday morning this month, the future soldiers of the U.S. Army huffed 
and puffed through push-ups, sit-ups and stretches in Whittier Narrows Regional Park in 
South El Monte.
    There was the gangly white kid with the blond buzz cut and the buffed-out Latino dude,
head draped in a black bandanna.
    And then there was Jennifer Ren, small, slight and bespectacled, an immigrant from 
China who gamely kept up with the guys and sees the Army as a ticket to U.S. citizenship 
and a job in accounting and finance.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/16/local/la-me-asian-mil16-2009dec16
  

11/11/09 Washington Post: "'She is the face of the new generation': At VA and among 
vets, Duckworth is trying to reshape perceptions,"
By Ed O'Keefe
    Five years ago this week, an insurgent shot down the Army Black Hawk helicopter that
Tammy Duckworth was co-piloting in Iraq. Now an assistant secretary of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, Duckworth lost her legs in the crash and the fire that followed.
    On Thursday, her Black Hawk crewmates who pulled her from the wreckage will be in 
Washington to celebrate her "alive day" -- what some veterans call their "second birthday"
to mark their brushes with death. She will lead them on a tour of the Capitol and the 
White House.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111018995.html
  

11/7/09 Minneapolis Star Tribune: “The death of PFC Kham Xiong -- scheduled to deploy
to Afghanistan next month -- on U.S. soil at the hands of a Fort Hood gunman compounds
this family's grief,”
by Curt Brown
    Chor Xiong pulled a worn black wallet from his back pocket Friday night and extracted 
two photographs.  One showed his 18-year-old son, Nelson Xiong, stoic in a dress blue 
military uniform. The other showed his stern-faced oldest son, 23-year-old Kham Xiong, 
in camouflage fatigues.
    Chor has been worried about Nelson, who is fighting in Afghanistan and due back in 
Minnesota on Nov. 28. So when the phone rang at his family's home on St. Paul's East Side
at 3 a.m. Friday, Chor braced himself for bad news about Nelson.
    Then, as his daughter explained to him that Kham, not Nelson, had been among 13 people
killed in an Army psychiatrist's rampage at Fort Hood in Texas, the father grew confused 
and angry.
    How could his unarmed son have died on U.S. soil two months before being deployed 
to Afghanistan?  And how will he find the words to explain this to his other son, the one on 
the battlefield?
http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/69386657.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiacyKU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs 

2/22/09 San Francisco Examiner: "Filipino veterans see justice in stimulus bill,"
by Katie Worth
    Redwood City –  The economic stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama 
on Tuesday included a program to provide every Filipino who fought for the U.S. during World 
War II with a lump-sum grant, in exchange for those veterans dropping any further pursuit of 
compensation or benefits.
    Many of those still living have mixed feelings about the provision passed into law in the 
stimulus package. As the law is written, Filipinos living in the U.S. will receive a payoff of 
$15,000, while veterans in the Philippines will receive $9,000. The families of the soldiers 
that have already died will receive nothing.
    The $15,000 is just over one year’s pension for service in the U.S. Army; and the provision 
included a stipulation that those that accept the lump sum can no longer pursue further benefits
from the government.

12/6/08 Associated Press: “Rumsfeld nemesis Shinseki to be named
VA secretary,”
by Hope Yen
    Washington – President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki 
to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, turning to a former Army chief of staff once vilified 
by the Bush administration for questioning its Iraq war strategy.
    Shinseki is the first Army four-star general of Japanese-American ancestry. He will be 
the first Asian-American to hold the post of Veterans Affairs secretary.
    Shinseki's tenure as Army chief of staff from 1999 to 2003 was marked by constant 
tensions with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, which boiled over in 2003 when Shinseki
testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control
Iraq after the invasion.
    Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as "wildly off the mark" 
and the army general was ousted within months.
    Obama said he selected Shinseki for the VA post because he "was right" in predicting 
that the U.S. will need more troops in Iraq than Rumsfeld believed at the time.
    Veterans' Affairs is the government's second largest agency.
    Shinseki is a recipient of two Purple Hearts for life-threatening injuries in Vietnam.
    Upon leaving his post in June 2003, Shinseki in his farewell speech sternly warned 
against arrogance in leadership.
    "You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader" he said. "You can 
certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And 
without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust 
and arrogance."
    Shinseki also left with the warning: "Beware a 12-division strategy for a 10-division army."

7/30/08 press release: “House passes resolution honoring the contributions of AAPI soldiers
during the U.S. Civil War”
    Washington , DC - The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a resolution honoring 
Asian American and Pacific Islander soldiers who fought in the U.S. Civil War, culminating a 
five-year battle by Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) to help correct the historical record.
    Historians have recently uncovered evidence that hundreds of soldiers of AAPI heritage 
fought on both the Union and Confederate sides, continuing a long tradition of significant AAPI 
contributions to the history of the United States since the Colonial Era.
    H. Res. 415 posthumously honors Edward Day Cohota and Joseph L. Pierce, both of 
Chinese ancestry, as examples of this overlooked group of men.
    "The history of America would be totally different without the contributions of Asian Americans.
From hard labor building the transcontinental railroad linking our coasts, to the academic 
contributions ranging from philosophy to medicine, Asian Americans have been an integral part
of making our country great," said Rep. Mike Honda. "I am pleased that heroes such as Pierce
and Cohota will finally take the place they deserve in our nation's memory."
    The resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 legislators from both parties, focuses on the 
actions of Cohota and Pierce, the two most widely documented AAPI Civil War soldiers. Cohota's
comrades gave testimony of the seven bullet holes in his coat during the battle of Drury Bluff.
    Pierce fought at the Battle of Gettysburg, volunteering for a dangerous assault on Bliss Farm, 
a bloody no-man's land between the Union and Confederate armies. Both men were Union soldiers.
    Despite the sacrifice of hundreds of men such as Pierce and Cohota, the bigoted laws of the 
day denied them the right to naturalize as U.S. Citizens. Honda said this resolution was the least 
that could be done to honor their memory.
    "As a teacher and an educator of more than 30 years, I believe our students should learn about 
these exploits in their history books; they should learn that from the start our country's history has 
been rich in diversity," Honda said. "Also it is very important for our community to see their 
ancestors' contribution acknowledged. I thank groups such as the Chinese American Citizens 
Alliance and all my colleagues in Congress who made possible this long overdue resolution."

 

7/18/08 Dallas Morning News: “For Texans in 'Lost Battalion,' real heroes were Japanese-American,” 
by David McLemore
    After more than 60 years, they remember the cold rain and the ferocity of combat in a fog-shrouded 
forest straight out of a fairy tale. Most of all, they remember the shared joy of survival.    
    In October 1944, 270 soldiers of a battalion of the 36th Division of the Texas National Guard were 
trapped by a much larger German force in the Vosges Mountains of France . Desperately low on 
food, water and ammunition, the Texans resisted for six days. On the seventh day, help came from an 
unexpected source.
    Members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed of Japanese-Americans, many whose
families remained locked up in relocation camps in California, fought a grinding battle inch by inch up the
mountains to reach the "Lost Battalion." They did so at a terrible price, suffering as many casualties in the
relief effort as they saved.
    Today and Saturday, the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin will exhibit newly 
found artifacts and hear talks by veterans of the battle. It is a reminder, said museum director Jeff Hunt, 
of how bravery and dedication to duty triumphed over intolerance on a cold, miserable battlefield 64 years
ago.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/071808dnmetlostbattalion.6617f7d5.html

5/24/08 Northwest Asian Weekly: “‘The Battle for Hearts and Minds’ goes on for Asian American veterans,”
By Ann-Marie Stillion
    Tony Chan’s DVD collection of four related documentaries concentrates on personal stories to tell the 
tale of war and the impact of racism.
    “Asians in the West” begins with Don Lau, who served as an army journalist, turns to the combat 
experiences of Cole Lew, and ends with the story of combat nurse Lily Lee Adams, who returned to the
U.S. to become a veterans advocate.
    Although not explicitly stated in the work itself, all three have struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It’s not clear how the interviewees were chosen for the story, but it is clear that each one experienced not 
only the battles in war, but the racism of fellow soldiers and the system they found themselves in, along with 
a lack of understanding from their peers at home and in everyday life. In the end, whether due to lack of 
services or an indifferent society, each was forced to come to terms with the demons left behind.
    In training, Lau was used as a stand-in for the enemy, dressed in a coulee hat and pajamas because 
he was Asian American. Authorities, attempting to train soldiers unfamiliar with Asians, pointed to him and 
said, “This is what the enemy looks like.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
    Documentaries are available separately from distributors Video Out, www.videoout.ca, and Canadian 
Filmmakers Distribution Centre, www.cfmdc.org.

2/22/08 Asia Times Online: "Speaking Freely: Asian American soldiers of conscience,"
by Gina Hotta
    Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please 
click here if you are interested in contributing. 
    When Major General Antonio Taguba steps on-stage, his shoulders are pulled back and he stands 
straight while addressing the audience at the University of California, Berkeley . He smiles at the warm 
reception he receives at a university known for being at the center of anti-war and left-wing students 
movements. A man in the audience holds up a sign saying "Mabuhay General", expressing a warm 
welcome in Tagalog, a language of the Philippines.  It also reflects the pride that Filipinos in America  
feel when they see this man - the son of immigrants to Hawaii, whose father was a survivor of the Bataan
Death March - talk about his investigation that revealed systematic abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib 
prison in Iraq. 
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JB22Ak01.html

1/22/08 Asian Week: "Nisei Veterans Postage Stamp Campaign Gains Momentum,"
by Lisa Wong Macabasco
    Postal Service committee meets next week to consider proposed stamp honoring World War II 
Japanese American vets
    The U.S. Postal Service Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee will meet on Jan. 24 and 25 to 
formally consider a proposal to honor American World War II servicemen and women of Japanese 
heritage with a commemorative postage stamp.
    “President Truman said it best — Nisei soldiers fought prejudice at home and on the battlefield, 
and won,” Sen. Daniel K. Akaka said. “A stamp in their honor would be a fitting tribute to these 
uniquely American heroes.”
http://www.asianweek.com/2008/01/22/nisei-veterans-postage-stamp-campaign-gains-momentum/


9/26/07 Asian Week: “Hmong Labeled Terrorists, Denied Green Cards,”
by: Sandy Cha
   Fresno , Calif. — It’s an endless process of waiting, of not knowing why or how, but that’s often the 
way it is, applying for U.S. citizenship. Many can relate, but in particular, the situation has become 
tenuous for the 4,000 Hmong with backlogged applications.
    During the Vietnam War, the United States recruited more than 40,000 Hmong men in Laos to fight
communism on behalf of the American government in a covert operation known as the Secret War.
http://www.asianweek.com/2007/09/26/hmong-labeled-terrorists-denied-green-cards/

9/6/07 Dallas Morning News: "Show profiles Japanese-American war hero,"
by Esther Wu
    PBS will present "Most Honorable Son," a profile on Ben Kuroki , one of the first Japanese-
American war heroes. The show will air at 8 p.m. Sept. 17 and can be seen locally on KERA-TV 
(Channel 13).
. . . . . . . . . .

7/5/07 New York Daily News: “Pol honors the 'forgotten': Rookie legislator wins fight for state Korean 
War Veterans Day,”
by Lynsey Johnson
    As the daughter of a Korean War veteran, Queens Assemblywoman Ellen Young knows how important
it is to honor veterans of the "forgotten war."
    The rookie legislator, who grew up hearing about the war from her parents, helped pass a resolution 
last month that made June 25 Korean War Veterans Day in New York.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2007/07/05/2007-07-05_pol_honors_the_forgotten.html

6/5/07 San Francisco Chronicle: “Ex-general called father of Hmong in U.S. ,”
by Matthai Chakko Kuruvila
    More than 30 years ago, Vang Pao led a guerrilla army of Hmong tribesmen fighting to keep communist 
forces from taking control of his native Laos. When the United States staged its final retreat from Vietnam in 
1975, Pao fled to the United States and helped other Hmong to do the same.
    The former general is now 77 years old and living in Orange County, but federal authorities said Monday 
that he hadn't given up the fight. They accused him of leading a ring of conspirators that was raising money 
and weapons to launch an attack against the communist government in Laos.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-06-05/news/17248906_1_hmong-forces-hmong-americans-vang-pao


April 2007 Asiance Magazine: “In Pursuit of a Dream” by Edmund Moy
    On November 10th, 1944, pilot Hazel Ying Lee reported to Bell Aircraft factory at Niagara Falls,
New York . She was given orders to pick up a new P-63 fighter and fly it to Great Falls, Montana .
    As one of 132 female pilots trained to "fly pursuit," Lee was qualified to pilot the super-fast and
powerful fighters of the era, including the P-51s, P-47s and P-39s.
http://www.asiancemagazine.com/apr_2007/in_pursuit_of_a_dream


12/27/06 San Jose Mercury News: “Chung: Victories mark veteran's life: Paving Way for Those Who Followed”
By L.A. Chung, Mercury News Columnist
    In his 103 years of living, he was variously known as Asha Schutz and Peter King, but it didn't matter 
to Peter Chang Sr., whose steady, small victories helped pave the way for others during an era when 
the ``Orientals'' were viewed mostly as house servants.
    The retired Navy man's life will be celebrated Thursday at the Avenidas Senior Day Health Center in
Mountain View, a place that was almost his second home in recent years. He died Nov. 26.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_4907699?nclick_check=1


12/13/06 Go For Broke Receives $100,000 From Paul & Hisako Terasaki 
    (Torrance, Calif.) – The Go For Broke National Education Center has received a $100,000 gift from 
Paul and Hisako Terasaki to help further its efforts to preserve the story of the World War II Japanese 
American veterans, whose decorations and record of service is unparalleled in military history, it was 
announced today. 
    Dr. Terasaki is a noted researcher who served as Professor of Surgery at UCLA from 1969-99. 
In 1964, he developed the micro lympho-cytotoxicity test that was adopted in 1970 as the international 
standard method of tissue typing. He and his corporation, One Lambda, have played a central role in the 
development of tissue typing and transplantation surgery.

11/9/06 Belleville News Democrat: “Duckworth says future run for office a possibility,
By Megan Reichgott
    Chicago - Tammy Duckworth has dinner plans with her former Army buddies. Then she wants new 
prosthetic legs, flying lessons and a Ph.D.
    After that, she'll consider running for Congress again.
. . . . . . . . . .

11/3/06 Washington Post: “VFW Passes Over Veteran in Illinois ,”
by Don Babwin  The Associated Press
    Chicago -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars' political action committee Friday endorsed a Republican 
congressional candidate with no military experience over a Democrat who lost her legs in combat in Iraq.
    The endorsement of GOP state Sen. Peter Roskam over Tammy Duckworth angered some Illinois  
veterans, as well as national figures such as former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a veteran who lost a leg in Vietnam.
. . . . . . . . . .

8/30/06 Sacramento Bee: “Filipino vets ask for full WWII honors,”
by Stephen Magagnini
    Raymundo V. Seva survived the hellish Bataan Death March at the hands of his
Japanese captors.  Seva, 85, lived long enough to become a U.S. citizen -- a privilege
granted to thousands of Filipino World War II veterans ordered to serve under Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's Far East Command.
   But Seva, who now resides in downtown Sacramento with his wife, Fe, wonders if
he'll live to see the day he and his fellow Filipino warriors will finally be recognized as
U.S. veterans.
. . . . . . . . . .

5/18/06 Dallas Morning News: “Monumental contributions deserve a moment,”
by Esther Wu
    I've often been asked why there is a need for an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month or, 
for that matter, Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. My response is that these 
special months were created because the public needs to learn more about these groups.
   The struggles, achievements and contributions of many people are often overlooked. Learning
about our diverse society – about people who look, speak and eat differently than we do – may
help us gain a better understanding of one another. And we can only hope that will lead to more 
tolerance.
   So just for the record, here are a few Asian-American "firsts" that helped shape the world we 
live in today.
    • Col. Young Oak Kim: first Asian-American to command a battalion during war. He led the
1st Battalion, 31st Army Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. During World War II , 
Col. Kim was a member of the 442nd/100th Regimental Combat Team, one of the most decorated
units in U.S. military history. The "Go for Broke" segregated Japanese-American battalion was
created while an estimated 120,000 people of Japanese descent were interned in this country.
   • Gen. Eric K. Shinseki: first Asian-American to be named chief of staff of the Army, in 1999. 
Before the war in Iraq , he was the first to tell the Senate Armed Services Committee that it would
take several hundred thousand soldiers to maintain order in that country after the war. Defense 
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld disagreed with Gen. Shinseki, who retired shortly afterward.


1/4/06 Los Angeles Times: “Young O. Kim, 86; World War II and Korean War Hero, 
Uniter of L.A. Asian Communities,”
by Myrna Oliver
    Retired Army Col. Young O. Kim, one of the most celebrated heroes of World 
War II and the Korean War, who later became Los Angeles' elder statesman and 
link among Korean, Japanese and other Asian American communities, has died. 
He was 86.
    Kim died Thursday of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles .
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/955554171.html?dids=955554171:955554171&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+04%2C+2006&author=Myrna+Oliver&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Obituaries%3B+Young+O.+Kim%2C+86%3B+World+War+II+and+Korean+War+Hero%2C+Uniter+of+L.A.+Asian+Communities&pqatl=google

10/5/05 Los Angeles Daily Breeze: “Veterans 'Go for Broke' in honoring fallen soldier.
WWII Nisei troops pay tribute to Torrance 's Medal of Honor winner, Ted Tanouye.
by Doug Irving
    The old soldiers gathered in the morning sun, greeting each other with hands 
that trembled with age, snapping pictures of a granite monument to a fallen comrade.
    They were Nisei, second-generation Japanese-Americans who fought in Italy  
and France while their parents waited behind the barbed wire of relocation camps. 
They had fought alongside Ted Tanouye, the Torrance farm boy who earned a Medal 
of Honor in World War II.
. . . . . . . . . .

8/16/05 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Japanese American vets' service to
U.S. hailed.  In intelligence, they acted as translators, interrogators, code 
breakers,”
by John Iwasaki
   Less than a year after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Howard Minato -- 
whose parents emigrated from the country waging war against the United 
States -- received his draft notice in Seattle .
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/236751_veterans16.html?dpfrom=thead

8/11/05 Lincoln (NE) Journal Star: “New honor for Japanese-American hero,”
by Joe Duggan
    He remembers the day, but not if it was cloudy or clear.
    Doesn't matter — no one could discern sky through all the antiaircraft shells 
blasting around them.
    "You couldn't believe how black it was with all the explosions," says Ben 
Kuroki, recalling the World War II bombing mission over Munster, Germany, 
that occurred nearly 62 years ago.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/881091611.html?dids=881091611:881091611&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+2005&author=Items+compiled+from+Tribune+news+services&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Japanese-American+to+get+WWII+medal&pqatl=google

5/17/05 Hattiesburg (Miss) American: “Veteran of famed Japanese-American
regiment dies.”
by Janet Braswell
    Herbert Sasaki first saw Camp Shelby as a 23-year-old Japanese-American
soldier who left his family in an interment camp to fight with the 442nd Regimental 
Combat Team.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/hattiesburgamerican/access/1782850891.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+17%2C+2005&author=Janet+Braswell&pub=Hattiesburg+American&desc=Veteran+of+famed+Japanese-American+regiment+dies&pqatl=google

5/15/05 Twin Cities Pioneer Press: 'Secret war' echoes: In May 1975, the U.S.
evacuated Hmong leaders from Laos as the Vietnam era climaxed. That exodus
30 years ago changed a people — and a faraway city.
by Jim Ragsdale
    America's secret war was finally ending — in chaos, and in private.
    Tens of thousands of Hmong fighters and their families waited on a mountain 
airstrip in northern Laos. Gun-toting men, aged parents and mothers nursing 
babies, their belongings stuffed into bamboo boxes and overflowing suitcases, 
all sat on the airfield in the tropical heat.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PD&s_site=twincities&p_multi=SP&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10A2CE348B6741BC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

2/25/05 Pasadena Star News: “Marine honored with tree planting,”
By Jason Kosareff , Staff Writer
    Rosemead -- Officials, family and friends gathered Friday at Bitely Elementary 
School to plant a tree  in honor of a young Marine killed in Iraq during the attack 
on Fallujah.
    Lance Cpl. Victor Lu, 22, of Lincoln Heights, was praised as a courageous fighter 
and beloved relative by his family and as a role model by state and local officials who 
came to pay respects.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PSWB&p_theme=pswb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10881081BA49B17E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM


2/10/05 The Sunfire Group  
Retired Col. Young O. Kim Receives French Legion of Honor Award from Government 
of France
    Los Angeles (February 8, 2005) - The Consul General of France Los Angeles 
presented the highly decorated World War II and Korean War veteran Colonel Young 
O. Kim (Ret.) with the National Order of The Legion of Honor award ("Légion d'honneur")
from the government of France on Friday, February 4.

9/17/04 Associated Press: “Sen. Inouye, Grandfather-in-waiting”
By B.J. Reyes
    Honolulu - In his office, significant honors over eight decades - college diplomas, civic 
honors, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and other military awards for valor - 
overshadow the tiny scrap of yellowed paper set off to the side.
    "This I'm proudest about, above all else," Sen. Daniel Inouye says, pointing out the
"junior police officer" certificate he received in elementary school.
. . . . . . . . .


6/23/04 Sacramento Bee: " Iraq death hits Willows: Hmong family mourns its loss,"
    Chou Vue's father and brother were killed in Laos as they fought for the U.S.  
government during the Vietnam War.
    On Friday, he lost his son.
    Spc. Thai Vue died Friday in Baghdad when a mortar round hit a group of vehicles 
where he was working. The 22-year-old mechanic served with the U.S. Army's 127th 
Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade. 
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1036956DA11142A4&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

6/3/04: ASIAN AMERICANS REMEMBER D-DAY: They also ask that their contributions
not be forgotten
By Sam Chu Lin
    A visitor to Kenny Gong's home in Cleveland , Mississippi will quickly notice a picture
frame with World War II medals and photographs prominently displayed in the living
room. They are reminders that he was among the thousands of paratroopers who
dropped behind enemy lines in France on D-Day. One photograph shows him proudly
cradling a machine gun in his arms, a good clue as to why his colleagues in the
101st Airborne nicknamed the 17-year-old paratrooper "Machine Gun Gong."
    In nearby Greenville, Jack Wong and his wife Fannie are thumbing through an old
newspaper acknowledging him as one of the city's three honorary grand marshals in
last December's Christmas parade and for his service during World War II. Wong was
in the Army Signal Corp and was among the tens of thousands of soldiers who waded
through the waters onto Omaha Beach only days after the initial invasion took place.
    Delbert Wong, a Los Angeles judge, is sitting in his Silver Lake home, ready to watch
the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final Western
Conference championship game [Lakers' won.]. A model of a B-17 Flying Fortress
bomber like the one he flew as a navigator sits on a coffee table nearby. As a
Lieutenant, Wong served in the 401 Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force during World
War II. He's thankful that he survived 30 missions over Germany and Berlin . Those
raids, he says, helped to pave the way for D-Day.
    In Santa Barbara , Roy Fong is in the garage repairing a drawer to an old refrigerator
while his wife is preparing a salmon sandwich in the kitchen for lunch. During World
War II, he was a radio operator stationed at Warmwell, a P-38 Lightning and Spitfire
base in Southern England and helped to guide fighter pilots home. He recently
celebrated his 80th birthday. He soon plans to call a friend in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania
to remember D-Day.
    On that fateful day, Gong says it was about 1:30 in the morning when a C-47 dropped
him and his fellow paratroopers near Saint-Mere Eglise. As the men jumped from their
plane into the dark night air, they were greeted with a deadly 4th of July fireworks show.
"There were plenty of ack-ack guns," Gong recounted. "I was so scared. The man
ahead of me got shot through the stomach. I landed in a ditch near hedgerows with
Germans running all around me. It took me a day to get back to my unit."
    The 80-year-old World War II veteran is proud of his military service. He smiles as
he wishfully thinks that perhaps one day a book might be written including his wartime
experiences. He notes that he has collected war souvenirs including a German Luger,
but his voice becomes serious when he talks about those who made the supreme
sacrifice on that fateful June 6 six decades ago.
    "When I think about that day," he related, "I get sick all over. I think about all of the
dead people. I don't want to watch any television shows about D-Day. I went through
the real thing."
    In contrast, 82-year-old Jack Wong vividly remembers the many bodies on Omaha
Beach and his own close calls with German snipers, but he feels differently about this
60th anniversary. "This D-Day anniversary means a lot to me," Wong stated. "It brings
back a lot of memories. I was drafted to protect the liberty and freedom we so cherish
in this country. In boot camp, I met with men who came from all over the country. I
learned a lot, and I matured a whole lot."
    Wong was with the 12th Army Group and on D- Day, he and other troops were
amassed on the southern tip of England . Fate dealt them a positive hand. They were
held in reserve and didn't go in on the first wave. When they arrived, fierce fighting
continued.
    "We got off a transport ship into a landing craft," the Mississippi Delta veteran
remembered. "Near shore we waded in knee deep water. Many bodies were floating
in the water. The Germans were firing artillery and machine guns at us, and our
battleships and troops fired back at them."
    "Our main job was to intercept German radio messages and to turn over that
information to G2 intelligence," he continued on. "They would decode those messages
and feed it to headquarters to let them know where the German armored divisions
were deployed and what they were up to."
    Wong emphasizes all Americans --- especially Asian Pacific Americans --- should
appreciate the sacrifices that the veterans of World War II and other conflicts have made
for this country.
    He is thankful that his city, which once denied Chinese Americans the right to send
their children to once segregated white schools or to use the local hospital facilities,
has recognized veterans like himself for their contributions and honored them.
    "We have more liberty and freedom than any other country in the world," he
commented. "Many people including Asian Americans sacrificed their lives to protect
that liberty and freedom that we enjoy. The people who are new in this country should
be educated about that history so they too will appreciate the sacrifices that have been
made, and they'll be encouraged to do what they can to protect that liberty and freedom."
    Judge Wong, who later became the first person of Chinese descent to be appointed
to the judiciary in the continental United States , says that the Allied bomb raids over
Germany helped to eliminate Hitler's air power so an invasion could take place.
    "There were few (German) airplanes flying over D-Day," Judge Wong noted. "If there
were more, they would have strafed our troops and we couldn't have had the invasion."
    The retired superior court judge had completed his 30 missions on June 2nd and was
scheduled to go home just before the D-Day invasion, but he and his fellow crewmembers
were held in reserve just in case they were needed. He says the bombers paid a heavy
price to pave the way for D-Day to happen.
    "We flew the last hour to Berlin without fighter cover," he recounted. "The city was
surrounded by over 400 gun batteries. We lost 60 bombers. At the same time, our division
was credited with 400 enemy aircraft destroyed in one day. We didn't know what to shoot
at because there were so many fighters coming through. They came so close you could
see the pilots' faces as they went whizzing by."
    On another mission, German fighters raked Wong's B-17 dubbed the "Dry Run" with
17 direct hits. A waist gunner was killed and two other crewmembers were wounded. The
bomber limped back to England and crashed landed at a British fighter base.
    Judge Wong feels the media and historians should make more of an effort to recognize
the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans during World War II, especially with the 60th
anniversary of D-Day approaching.
    "I think that the 100th Battalion / 442nd Nisei Regimental Combat Team has not gotten
as much coverage or attention that they deserve," he cited as example. "They are the most
decorated unit in U.S. military history. We don't really hear about them except in the Asian
press, and they should get more coverage."
    Roy Fong, who was a sergeant and radio operator in the 9th Air Force of the Army Air
Corps, says if anyone looked up at the sky on D-Day it was clear an invasion was under way.
    "With 10,000 planes up in the air ---- maybe more, some going in one direction and others
going in another direction," the retired Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
employee noted, "you couldn't count them. They were headed for Normandy and then coming
back to reload. On June 6th our squadron commander didn't come back. He was shot down."
    There had been plenty of air activity going on for a solid week. The former radio operator
says he couldn't hear the machine gun fire, but he knew when the pilots were in combat by
listening to them on the radio. "They'd say, 'Bandit at two o'clock high! There's one coming
in at four o'clock,'" he recounted. "When they finished their missions, the pilots radioed us
back. We set up homing beacons to guide them in."
    Years later Fong was reminded of how important a role he played. Several attendees at
a veterans' reunion nonchalantly identified him as a "cook." "I was the only Asian in my
fighter group," he said.
    His wife Elizabeth quickly interjected, "Pilots that knew Roy quickly said, 'No, No, he's not
a cook! He brought us home safely. That's why we're here at this reunion.'" Fong added,
"It would be great if more people realized that Asian Americans contributed much to help
win the war."