UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 291330Z APR 10 BT UNCLAS FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N00// TO NAVADMIN NAVADMIN 153/10 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N00/APR// SUBJ/OBSERVANCE OF ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH 2010// RMKS/1. DURING THE MONTH OF MAY, WE CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICANS. THE NATIONAL THEME FOR THIS YEAR IS "DIVERSE LEADERSHIP FOR A DIVERSE WORKFORCE." 2. PROPOSED IN 1977 BY BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE, A JOINT RESOLUTION DECLARING THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF MAY AS ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE WEEK WAS SIGNED BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ON 5 OCTOBER 1978. TWELVE YEARS LATER, THIS OBSERVANCE WAS EXPANDED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH TO ENCOMPASS THE FULL MONTH OF MAY. IN 1992, THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION OF MAY AS ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH WAS SIGNED INTO LAW. 3. ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICANS, INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS FROM CAMBODIA, CHINA, INDONESIA, INDIA, JAPAN, KOREA, LAOS, MICRONESIA, THE PHILIPPINES, POLYNESIA, THAILAND, VIETNAM, AND MANY OTHER ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDS, HAVE LONG SERVED WITH DISTINCTION IN THE ARMED FORCES. THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW OF THE MANY RECENT EXAMPLES: A. IN FEB 2010, MR. WESLEY ISIZU, MID-PACIFIC DIVISION DIRECTOR FOR NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND PACIFIC AND OF JAPANESE HERITAGE, WAS RECOGNIZED AS ASIAN AMERICAN OF THE YEAR BY THE CHINESE INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS. B. IN OCT 2009, CAPT RAQUEL CRUZ BONO, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRICARE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY, WAS HONORED AS ONE OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL FILIPINA WOMEN IN THE U.S. BY THE FILIPINA WOMEN'S NETWORK. C. IN MAY 2009, VIETNAMESE-BORN CDR H.B. LE TOOK COMMAND OF THE USS LASSEN (DDG 82) AND MADE A PORT VISIT TO DA NANG, VIETNAM IN NOV 2009, HIS FIRST VISIT BACK TO HIS HOMELAND SINCE HIS FAMILY FLED IN 1975. D. IN MAY 2009, PS1 BORREE TIBI, A NAVAL RESERVIST OF FILIPINO DESCENT, RECEIVED THE MILITARY MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD FROM THE FEDERAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL. 4. IN 2009, FIVE ASIAN AND ONE PACIFIC ISLANDER CAPTAINS WERE SELECTED TO THE RANK OF REAR ADMIRAL. JUST THIS YEAR, TWO MORE ASIAN CAPTAINS WERE SELECTED TO THE RANK OF REAR ADMIRAL. THESE ACHIEVEMENTS HIGHLIGHT THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THIS DIVERSE GROUP. A. BRIAN L. LOSEY, NSW, JAPANESE B. ELEANOR V. VALENTIN, MSC, FILIPINO C. RON J. MACLAREN, SC, KOREAN D. PETER A. GUMATAOTAO, SW, GUAMANIAN/MICRONESIAN E. ANATOLIO B. CRUZ III, SW, FILIPINO F. JONATHAN A. YUEN, SC, CHINESE G. DAVID M. BOONE, CEC/AP, JAPANESE H. COLIN G. CHINN, MC, CHINESE 5. ALL HANDS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF DIVERSITY BY CELEBRATING ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH THROUGH PROGRAMS, EXHIBITS, PUBLICATIONS, AND PARTICIPATION IN MILITARY AND COMMUNITY EVENTS HIGHLIGHTING THE DIVERSITY OF OUR AMERICAN HERITAGE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES: A. THE NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND: HTTP://WWW.HISTORY.NAVY.MIL B. LIBRARY OF CONGRESSS: HTTP://ASIANPACIFICHERITAGE.GOV C. ASIAN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVES NETWORK: WWW.AAGEN.ORG D. ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE ASSOCIATION: WWW.APAHA.ORG 6. INFORMATION ON DIVERSITY CONFERENCES, EVENTS, AWARDS, AND OBSERVANCES IS AVAILABLE AT THE NAVY DIVERSITY WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WWW.NPC.NAVY.MIL/COMMANDSUPPORT/DIVERSITY. 7. POINT OF CONTACT IS LT ENJOLI RAMSEY, OPNAV N134, AT (703) 614-6851, OR E-MAIL AT ENJOLI.RAMSEY(AT)NAVY.MIL. 8. RELEASED BY ADMIRAL G. ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.// BT #0001 NNNN