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REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
DAHLGREN, VA
JUNE 1, 2005
11 AM
Thank you, Marc Magdinec, for that kind introduction.
Admiral Beaman, Captain McGettigan, thank you for your hospitality here at the
Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center. And let me begin this afternoon by
complimenting Phylis Jackson, James Byrd, and the Office of Civil Rights staff
for organizing such an outstanding event to mark Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month.
As you might suspect, this observance is particularly near and dear to my heart.
And Asian Pacific American Heritage Month takes on added significance this year
because it is the first since the passing of my good friend, Congressman Frank
Horton of New York, last August.
Congressman Horton and I introduced the original legislation to launch a
national celebration of the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans In the late
1970s. What began as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was eventually
expanded to a full month. And here at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, I note
that you have stretched it into June.
For many years, we had to pass new legislation annually. But when Frank told me
that he was retiring from the Congress in 1992, he mentioned that, before he
left, he wanted to make the observance permanent. And on October 28, 1992,
President George H. W. Bush, our 41st President, signed the bill that proudly
designated May of each year as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Our theme this year, “Liberty and Freedom for All”, reminds Americans of our
responsibility to hold America to her highest ideals – not just for some, but
for all citizens of this great Nation.
And it reminds us that, while the United States is distinguished as a Nation
“conceived in liberty,” freedom is a universal aspiration.
For generations, America has been the symbol of freedom to oppressed people
around the world, and the promise of America continues to draw thousands to our
Nation’s shore each year. My parents were two of those immigrants. Japan, my
father would say, was the “land of his birth,” but he called America the “land
of his heart.”
Our family was among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry who were
forcibly evacuated from our homes and relocated to an internment camp during the
Second World War. But even then, my father held fast to his belief in the
promise of America.
Even though he was ineligible to become a United States citizen, he felt that he
wanted to be contributing to the war effort. He volunteered to serve in the Army
Specialized Training Program, and taught Japanese at the University of Chicago
to U.S. Army personnel.
My father was not alone. More than 12,000 patriotic Japanese Americans answered
the call to serve the cause of liberty in the Second World War. The 442nd
Regimental Combat Team – an all Japanese American unit – was the most highly
decorated unit of its size in the history of the U.S. Army.
Through service, Americans from every corner of our Asian Pacific American
community are – with a nod to President John F. Kennedy – not simply asking, we
are showing what we can do for our country. Indeed, here at the Dahlgren center,
you support the work of liberty every day. It is an honor to be with you today,
and I salute you.
In all, nearly 94,000 Asian Pacific Americans have answered the call to public
service in the federal government – that includes 141 employees here at
Dahlgren.
I am especially proud that President Bush has appointed more Asian Pacific
Americans to the highest levels of his Administration than any President before
him. Since 2001, he has appointed 223 Asian Pacific Americans to serve in 269
different positions.
And there are some 276,000 Asian Pacific American veterans who have stepped
forward to defend this country and the values that we hold dear.
This past weekend, Americans paused from our busy lives to remember the service
and the sacrifice of all of our brave countrymen and women who have fought – and
are fighting today – to protect our values and secure our freedom.
You may have heard that I had surgery a couple of years back. I still return to
Walter Reed Army Medical Center for rehabilitative therapy. And when I am there,
I make a point of visiting with the wounded soldiers every chance that I get. I
find tremendous inspiration in the commitment and courage of these young people.
One woman who made a particular impression on me is Ladda “Tammy” Duckworth, a
Major in the Army National Guard. She is on leave from her job as manager of
Rotary service clubs in the Asian-Pacific area for Rotary International because
she was called to serve in Iraq.
When an RPG hit the Black Hawk helicopter that she was piloting, Major Duckworth
lost both of her legs. Yet she is still talking eagerly about going back to her
unit.
President Bush has dedicated this month in honor of Asian Pacific Americans who,
like Tammy, are contributing to the spread of freedom around the world.
That world becomes smaller, and our cultures more closely intertwined, every
day.
As a result of some major agreements that we have been able to negotiate, we are
literally opening the skies and the sea channels to connect the people of Asia
and America through increased trade and travel. These agreements have been
successfully guided by our Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation
and International Affairs, Karan Bhatia, an American of South Asian/Indian
ancestry.
As we look ahead to the new opportunities, our growing Asian Pacific American
communities will be important ambassadors in developing ties with this
incredibly important part of the world.
Indeed, part of the great strength of this remarkable country is that there is
no such thing as a foreign face… no such thing as a foreign culture… in America.
America’s heritage is the heritage of all of the nations and all of the peoples
whose sons and daughters have found hope and opportunity here – and whose
descendants now form the fabric of America.
So I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today as we
celebrate the many contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made – and
continue to make – to the rich tapestry that is the United States of America.
Travel safely. May God bless you all. And may God continue to bless this great
Nation.
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