412th Theater Engineer Command soldiers wear Samoan garb

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Lyndon Miller | Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Davis, with the 412th Theater Engineer Command G4, and other soldiers help kick off commemoration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by wearing Samoan lava lavas during Friday morning physical fitness session, May 3, 2013, in Vicksburg, Miss.  

VICKSBURG, MS, UNITED STATES

05.03.2013

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Lyndon Miller 

412th Theater Engineer Command

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

Lava lavas are made of a whole piece of printed cloth, worn tied at the waist by both sexes in Samoa. The garb is worn througout the Pacific Islander region but is called by different names.

Monica Hughey, a local Vicksburg Zumba instructor at Shape Up Sisters, led the soldiers in an hourlong workout. Although Zumba is of Colombian origin, the soldiers wore lava lavas to show appreciation for the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander soldiers, civilians and family members. One of the songs played during the workout was by 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, Oct. 5, 1978. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush, turned the weeklong 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. Gen. Eric Shinseki, retired, 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 education 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 American and Pacific Islander soldiers, civilians and family members by serving food from the region, donning masks, and wearing lava lavas at time set aside during battle assembly.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2013
• Date Posted: 05.06.2013 16:43
• Story ID: 106432
• Location: VICKSBURG, MS, US