Shinseki

Shinseki, who served as the 34th chief of staff of the Army from 1999 to 2003 when he retired, saluted the diversity of the United States during his address to the Walter Reed audience. He was born in Lihue, Kauai in the then Territory of Hawaii in 1942 to a Japanese American family.

Shinseki, a veteran of combat in Vietnam who was left with a maimed foot after stepping on a land mine, was selected by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the 7th U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs in January.

ìYou represent the finest military in the world,î Shinseki said to the Walter Reed community. ìThat finest military has been a force for good throughout the history of our country,î he added.

ìIndividually, your personal stories of courage and commitment, of service and sacrifice, reflect the mighty strength and quiet virtues of America itself,î Shinseki said. ìWe, who understand what you provide to the rest of us, salute you.î

As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated, ìweíre reminded America is a country far greater than the sum of its parts,î Shinseki said. ìAmerica elicits its unique strength from our diversity, and itís the singular advantage that we draw from the best of our ëhyphensí ó be it Irish (hyphen) American, Italian (hyphen) American, African (hyphen) American, or Asian (hyphen) Pacific (hyphen) American, or any of our hundred other ancestries I could list.î

Growing up in the Pacific theater of operation during World War II and its aftermath, Shinseki said he was ìingrained with an appreciation for the expanse and complexity of Asian-Pacific heritage and culture.î

He said the ìsheer sizeî of the Asia Pacific region ìmakes it impossible to properly pay tribute to every one of its fascinating Asian Pacific cultures in a single celebration.î

Many people of Asian-Pacific heritage are from the islands of the Pacific and ìknow the ocean intimatelyî, Shinseki said. ìYet so many among us also claim our heritage rooted in cultures of the two largest, most populace nations in the world ó China and India, where many in their lifetime never see an ocean.î

ìCulturally, we are a collection of talented and creative people whose music, art, dress, cuisine, language and customs are so varied that they span social structures from space-age society to stone-age tribes and everything in between,î Shinseki said.

ìWe are voyagers, both for the purpose of commerce and curiosity,î he added. ìWe were not hesitant about venturing beyond the boundaries of our communities to see what the world beyond the horizon was like and what it offered in the way of opportunities for us, and more importantly, for our children,î Shinseki said. He said this explains why so many people of Asian-Pacific heritage made their way to the shores of the United States, ìwhere opportunities abound.î

Shinseki said cultural heritage celebrations are important because they provide an opportunity to rekindle important ties to the past, and help people maintain their identity, and a sense of who they are and where they came from.

He said the majority of the people in America are not threatened by their differences, ìin fact, we honor them by celebrating each other cultures. We are Americans first, and then we are whatever we choose our cultures to be next ó Japanese-American, Hawaiian, Red Fox Nation, [etc.].î

Today, nearly 15 million Americans trace their roots to Asia and the Pacific, Shinseki said.

ìLooking to our past, each of us is living affirmation of magnificent legacy born of the dreams of resilience souls who guided us from the old way, and helped fire and forge this new one,î Shinseki added.

He said that for most, the immigrant experience has been one of ìstruggle and hope, prejudice and pride, passion and perseverance, but eventually, triumph.î

ìThe vast diversity of languages, religions and cultural traditions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continues to strengthen the fabric of American society,î said President Barack Obama in his proclamation for Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. ìDuring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we remember the challenges and celebrate the achievements that define our history.î

ìIn the earliest years, tens of thousands of Gold Rush pioneers, coal miners, transcontinental railroad builders, as well as farm and orchard laborers, were subject to unjust working conditions, prejudice, and discrimination ó yet they excelled. Even in the darkness of the Exclusion Act and Japanese internment, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have persevered, providing for their families and creating opportunities for their children. Amidst these struggles, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed in great and significant ways to all aspects of society,î Obama said.