Fleet Cyber Command Celebrates Asian American, Pacific Islander Heritage Month

FORT MEADE, MD, UNITED STATES

05.09.2017

Courtesy Story

U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet

By Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet Public Affairs

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (NNS) – Sailors and civilians assigned to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet (FCC/C10F) gathered to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month May 9.

Vice Adm. Mike Gilday, commander, FCC/C10F, opened the ceremony with remarks about the importance of celebrating diversity and the important role that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played in the Navy’s history and mission.

Three members of FCC/C10F followed Gilday’s remarks with presentations highlighting this year’s theme “Unite Our Voices by Speaking Together.”

Mr. Al Gogue, a native of Guam and FCC/C10F’s safety officer; Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samuel Souvannason, a Thai-American; and Information Systems Technician Seaman Kiana Fortin, a Filipino-American, all gave short presentations where they discussed their heritage, families and perspectives about serving as Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders.

“I wanted the audience to know that although my origin is that of a Pacific Islander, as an American, I am so proud to have served and still be serving the greatest country on earth,” said Gogue, who is a retired first sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. “I also wanted to express that through diversity, I was able to educate people about my upbringing and to be a voice of reason and not just seen.”

Each guest speaker gave their own account of growing up as an Asian-American or Pacific Islander and how that has influenced their service.

“My heritage is important to me and to my family. A lot of the values I learned from my parents are unique to Filipino culture, and I wanted to bring that with me into the Navy and share that with the audience,” said Fortin.

U.S. Fleet Cyber Command serves as the Navy component command to U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Cyber Command, and the Navy’s Service Cryptologic Component commander under the National Security Agency/Central Security Service. Fleet Cyber Command also reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations as an Echelon II command.

U.S. 10th Fleet is the operational arm of Fleet Cyber Command and executes its mission through a task force structure similar to other warfare commanders. In this role, C10F provides operational direction through its Maritime Operations Center located at Fort George Meade Md., executing command and control over assigned forces in support of Navy or joint missions in cyber/networks, information operations, electronic warfare, cryptologic/signals intelligence and space.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/FCCC10F/.

• Date Taken: 05.09.2017
• Date Posted: 05.16.2017 13:52
• Story ID: 234032
• Location: FORT MEADE, MD, US