True Americans
June 29, 2007
Heroes are often made during times of war, but not all heroes are forged in the violence of combat. Asian and Pacific Islander American soldiers fighting in Iraq have demonstrated their courage and patriotism to our nation. Hundreds have lost their lives, and thousands more have suffered injury on the battlefield.
But Asian Americans are making their mark in military history, not just for combat duties, but also for standing up to protect the principles and ideals of America.
It was Major General Anthony Taguba — then the highest-ranking APA in the military — who stood up and investigated, exposed, and ultimately helped bring an end to disgraceful and illegal torture techniques at the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Before that, Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki — the first Asian American to achieve the rank of four-star general — was sidelined by civilian leaders at the Pentagon after accurately predicting that “hundreds of thousands” of troops would be needed in post-war Iraq. His superiors publicly ridiculed Shinseki as “outlandish” and “wildly off the mark.”
Captain James Yee, chaplain at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, was falsely accused of being a traitor and thrown into solitary confinement for doing his duty and ministering to prisoners. Lt. Erin Watada stood up for his beliefs and refused to fight in Iraq, challenging the war as being illegal under the American Constitution.
We are often taught that the nail that sticks up gets hammered down. But that does not mean that Asian Americans will keep quiet and go away meekly when faced with injustice. To the contrary, we stand up and speak out for the ideals and values of America that are our own.
Even when we get knocked down, we get up to speak out again. Lt. Tammy Duckworth lost both her legs fighting in Iraq, but upon returning to American soil, she nearly won her first-time campaign to be elected to Congress. She is now director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
While our civilian leaders were busy trying to create a “New Europe” and a “New Middle East,” they overlooked the evolution of a New America here at home. A New America where Asian Americans are taking their places as true champions for the integrity and principles of the American Constitution.
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