COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — 1st Lt. Juvie Varela, platoon leader for Company A, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, shares her Family’s history, during an observance for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Elkhorn Conference Center May 29, 2018. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
By Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — “Inclusion is the deliberate act of welcoming diversity and creating an environment where all kinds of people can thrive and succeed,” said 2nd Lt. Kenneth Meno, the assistant operations officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “So if diversity is what you have, inclusion is what you do.”
In the spirit of celebrating that diversity and inclusion, Soldiers with 3rd ABCT hosted an observance ceremony for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Elkhorn Conference Center May 29, 2018.
Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Graybill, equal opportunity adviser, 3rd ABCT, 4th Inf. Div., coordinated the observance. This year’s theme was “Unite Our Vision by Working Together,” it was selected by the Federal Asian-Pacific American Council and focuses on unity and inclusion.
May is nationally recognized as Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and celebrates the important contributions of individuals of Asian-American and Pacific Islander descent to the nation.
“Each year during the month of May, our country recognizes the challenges faced and the vital contributions made to our nation by individuals of Asian and Pacific Island descent, both historically and in today’s society,” said Meno.
The month of May was chosen for two important anniversaries: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in America on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was primarily built by Chinese workers.
Following Meno’s presentation, four Soldiers provided testimonials regarding their culture and the Army value of respect.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Soldiers with 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stand at attention for the playing of the national anthem during an observance for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Elkhorn Conference Center May 29, 2018. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
Fourth generation Filipino-American, 1st Lt. Juvie Varela, platoon leader for Company A, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd ABCT, 4th Inf. Div., said she was honored to share her Family’s history as well as her opportunity to live the American dream.
“This dream started with my lolo, my great grandfather, Monico Razon, during the Sakadas,” said Varela. “This was a period of time when the importation of Filipino workers was common in order to work the sugar cane plantations in Hawaii during the early 1900s.”
She said her great grandparents took the family from Hawaii to the Philippines and had to sacrifice their American citizenship and identity in order to survive World War II.
After the war and the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Varela’s family returned to Hawaii to rebuild her great grandfather’s dream.
“I hold a great appreciation toward my grandparents, because I wouldn’t have been here without their will and sacrifice,” said Varela. “I am filled with dignity as an Asian-Pacific Islander the same way we, as Soldiers, wear our uniforms. We label our successes with distinguished patches on our shoulders, savor our cohesiveness and camaraderie as we accomplish our mission, and ultimately represent the American people as one.”
Observances such as this serve to highlight and educate people about various cultures and ethnicities which make up the whole organization, and by doing so, encourage respect and appreciation of those cultural differences.
“We are part of the same team, and we have a common purpose to serve our country,” said Lt. Col. John Lemay, equal opportunity program manager, 4th Inf. Div. “We have to work effectively together as a team in order to win.”