Asian-Pacific heritage shared during luncheon                Chris Rasmussen        Leader Staff

To commemorate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, a celebration took place Friday at the Fort Jackson Officers’ Club. The buffet-style luncheon featured tasty Asian-Pacific foods and plenty of entertainment depicting Tongan and Samoan dances and demonstrations by Blythewood Tae Kwon Do. The luncheon was organized this year by the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School. “Every time we do a luncheon it is to highlight the culture,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Tucker, equal opportunity adviser for the school. “Our job is to make sure we are showing the diversity here on Fort Jackson and bring everyone in. “We not only want to treat everyone equal, but celebrate our differences as we do our job as Soldiers,” he said. The theme for this year’s luncheon was “2008 Leadership, Diversity, Harmony –– Gateway to Success.” Guest speaker for the event was 2nd Lt. Sorepa Pakileata-Gallahar, executive officer for Company D, 369th Adjutant General Battalion. Pakileata-Gallahar, who was born in American Samoa, said she learned at a very early age to not make judgments based on one’s race or heritage. “My father always told me to keep an open mind and learn about other people, and let them learn about me,” she said. “Young people have to learn to set their differences aside and work together as a team. That is especially important in the military.” Having an appreciation for diversity has helped Pakileata-Gallahar tremendously as a leader in the Army. “I come across Soldiers from many different backgrounds and it has helped me connect to them because I come from a different background than what is considered normal,” she said. The most common question Pakileata-Gallahar receives when she tells someone she is from American Somoa is, “Where is it located?” “I always say an island close to Hawaii,” she said. Asian-Pacific American heritage has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1978, when representatives from New York and California introduced a House resolution calling on the president to designate the first 10 days of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week. President Carter signed a joint resolution in 1978 designating the annual celebration In 1990, President Bush expanded the holiday by designating May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the U.S. in 1843 as well as to honor contributions made by Chinese immigrants to the building of the transcontinental railroad, which was completed in 1869.