Fleet Activities Yokosuka Celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Fraser | 200528-N-HH215-1002 YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 28, 2020) – Capt. Rich Jarrett, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) commanding officer, prepares an udon dish in recognition of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. For 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler R. Fraser/Released)  

JAPAN

05.28.2020

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Fraser 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka’s (CFAY) Multicultural Committee (MCC) hosted a virtual Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration May 28 via CFAY’s YouTube channel.

The event celebrated Asian and Pacific Islander Americans for their many distinct and important contributions to the United States military.

Organizers of the event said events like these are important because they allow the CFAY community to learn about each other’s culture.

“It’s important to celebrate heritage months like this as it highlights our uniqueness,” said Electrician's Mate Petty Officer 1st Class Renee Yeatesbrisbon, degaussing range electrician assigned to CFAY’s Port Operations Department and MCC president. “Although there are differences among us, events like this show that there is always a common link and similarities among us as well.”

Speakers during the virtual event highlighted the history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and their individual contributions. The event also offered viewers an opportunity to make popular dishes belonging to the Asian and Pacific Islander culture.

“Many cultures are so well identifiable by their food,” said Yeatesbrisbon. “We wanted to highlight these unique dishes and provide an opportunity to showcase the culture to the CFAY community.”

Those who participated in the event said offering virtual recipes was a great way to learn about the Asian American Pacific Islander heritage.
“Living in Japan, the best part of the experience is the food and we try to introduce Japanese and other Asian ingredients in our cooking at home as often as possible,” said Capt. Rich Jarrett, CFAY commanding officer. “I really appreciate the Multicultural Committee’s creative idea to produce cooking videos since we aren’t able to gather together right now.”

Attendees of the ceremony said it was rewarding and they were able to learn from the experience.

“COVID-19 has stressed and tested us as a whole in so many ways,” said CFAY’s Command Master Chief (CMC) Derek Mullenhour.

“For our Multicultural Committee, it has allowed them to explore virtual avenues to bring that sense of culture and heritage to everyone here at CFAY without having to gather in person as previously done,” added Mullenhour. “They have found out that by doing things virtually we have been able to bring people into our homes, to show them a part of their culture through the cooking of traditional food.”

For 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.

• Date Taken: 05.28.2020
• Date Posted: 05.28.2020 02:52
• Story ID: 370876
• Location: JP