2005 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

1. MAY IS DESIGNATED AS ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN
HERITAGE MONTH. THE 2005 THEME IS "LIBERTY AND FREEDOM FOR ALL". 
THIS RECOGNITION WAS ORIGINALLY INTRODUCED AS PACIFIC/ASIAN HERITAGE 
WEEK BY CONGRESSMEN FRANK HORTON AND NORMAN MINETA IN THE HOUSE OF 
REPRESENTATIVES IN JUL 1977. ON 23 OCT 1992, THE 102ND CONGRESS 
UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED PUBLIC LAW 102-450, DESIGNATING MAY AS ASIAN 
PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH.
2. THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE WITH THE APPROXIMATELY TWO-DOZEN DISTINCT 
ETHNIC GROUPS THAT COMPRISE THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY. 
WHILE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOGNIZE ALL THE NATIONALITIES AND 
ETHNICITIES THAT COMPRISE THIS DIVERSE CULTURE, THE COMMONALITY OF 
THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED. ASIAN 
PACIFIC AMERICANS HAVE MADE COUNTLESS CONTRIBUTIONS IN MANY ASPECTS 
OF AMERICAN LIFE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE ARTS AND 
SCIENCES, GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION, SPORTS, BUSINESS AND THE MILITARY 
SERVICE. 
3. THROUGHOUT OUR NATION'S HISTORY ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS HAVE MADE 
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH MILITARY SERVICE. IN THE CIVIL 
WAR, WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM, THE GULF WAR AND THE 
CURRENT GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM, ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS SERVED AND 
SACRIFICED FOR OUR NATION'S LIBERTY AND FREEDOM. WITHIN THE MARINE 
CORPS, ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS OF ASIAN PACIFIC 
HERITAGE IS BRIGADIER GENERAL VINCENTE BLAZ, USMC (RET). BRIGADIER
GENERAL BLAZ WAS BORN IN GUAM AND WAS PRESENT DURING THE WORLD WAR II
JAPANESE OCCUPATION. THIRTY YEARS LATER, AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER 
OF THE 9TH MARINE REGIMENT, HE WOULD LEAD ONE OF THE UNITS THAT WAS
INSTRUMENTAL IN THE LIBERATION OF HIS HOMELAND. FOLLOWING HIS 
RETIREMENT FROM THE MARINE CORPS, BRIGADIER GENERAL BLAZ RETURNED TO
HIS NATIVE GUAM, TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUAM, AND IN 1984, WAS
ELECTED TO THE U.S. CONGRESS WHERE HE SERVED FOR FOUR TERMS UNTIL
1993. THIS LEGACY OF SERVICE TO COUNTRY AND CORPS LIVES ON IN
TODAY'S GENERATION OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS. TODAY IN THE MARINE
CORPS, ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS CONTINUE TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT
IMPACT IN THE GLOBAL STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM. CURRENTLY THERE
ARE OVER 6000 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MARINES WHO PROUDLY SERVE
ON ACTIVE DUTY AND IN THE RESERVES, AND WHO CONTINUE TO EMBRACE THE
CORE VALUES OF HONOR, COURAGE, AND COMMITMENT.
4. COMMANDERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RECOGNIZE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ASIAN
PACIFIC AMERICANS, MILITARY AND CIVILIAN. COMMANDERS ARE FURTHER
ENCOURAGED TO CONDUCT PROGRAMS AND PROMOTE PARTICIPATION IN
OBSERVANCE EVENTS BOTH ON BASE AND IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.