The 832nd Transportation Battalion hosted the first Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month festival since the pandemic at Fort Eustis on May 21, 2024.
The celebration featured music, performances, games, a sumptuous feast, and even a roasted pig in honor of the 6.2 percent Soldiers serving across the Army today of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent. (More than 23,000 are men and more than 5,000 are women).
Guest speakers included Col. Frankie Cochiaosue, commander, 733d Mission Support Group and Col. Ed Bonelle (Retired).
The Special guest was Doug Pons, Mayor of Williamsburg and friend of the 832nd Transportation Bn.
The event was organized by a volunteer committee made up of Soldiers from Guam, the Phillipines, Saipan, Samoa, Laos, and Thailand.
In these cultures, respect is played out through the practice of hospitality, according to 832nd TBn S4 OIC Capt. Leenord Amado, a native of Saipan.
Using traditional navigation for thousands of years, Pacific Islanders were accustomed to receiving one another in remote islands, and hospitality was the rule for such engagements. Today, it is still the rule in the Pacific Islands. All are welcome, and there are no strangers.
Capt. Amada’s wife Riza Amada was just one of the many spouses who prepared fresh lumpia, flan, pickled cucumbers, vegetables with cabbage and ground beef late into the night and early morning.
Mrs. Amado said she was excited to cook her family recipes because it was her first time to share her food with Soldiers.
“I love to share,” she added. She made flan beginning at 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. and worked on frying the fresh lumpia from 8 to 10 a.m.
The 2023 597th Transportation Bde. Soldier of the Year Spc. Ethan Lueck said he ate from everything, including red rice, red beans, pork shoulder, and barbeque ribs.
“I learned that the Asian and Pacific Islander’s serving with me have a long-standing history and they are proud of it and they cherish their community,” Lueck said.
“I’m really glad to get this chance to get to learn about my battle buddies,” Lueck added.
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2024 23:26 |
| Story ID: | 472206 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Returns to Fort Eustis: 832nd Transportation Battalion Leads the Festivities, by Julie A Kelemen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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