Navy celebrates 2017 Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

• From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

• May 18, 2017

WASHINGTON

The Navy joins the nation in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout May.

ALNAV 006/17 encourages participation in all the heritage celebrations and special observances throughout the year. This year, Navy commands are encouraged to celebrate and reflect on the theme “Unite Our Voices by Speaking Together.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to serve with such a diverse group of officers and enlisted personnel who make up our Navy,” said Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, a Hawaiian-born Filipino and the 40th commander of Navy Region Southeast in Jacksonville, Florida. “I’m blessed at the opportunities the Navy has given me, and I’m thankful to celebrate this month with my fellow Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”

There are 24,743 Asian American and Pacific Islander Sailors currently serving as part of One Navy Team, including eight admirals, 659 master chief and senior chief petty officers and 318 officers. These Sailors represent more than 56 ethnic groups, speaking over 100 languages from Asia and the Pacific Islands, living in the United States.

Asian American and Pacific Islanders represent 11.7 percent of the Navy civilian workforce and 3.2 percent of Senior Executive Service members. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a proud history,” Bolivar said. “It’s a history of service. We’re dedicated not only to our heritage, but also to our Navy; to be a shining example of the core values that guide us: honor, courage and commitment.”

Asian American and Pacific Islanders of various nationalities and ancestry have been serving in the Navy since the early 19th century. The rich history of these cultures, their struggles against adversity to achieve equality, significant contributions to the American experience and the opportunity to build the foundation for a bright future are made reality by some great leaders who share the same heritage.

For more information about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their numerous contributions to the Navy, visit www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/diversity/asian-americans-pacific-islanders-in-the-navy.html.

Susan Ahn Cuddy joined the Navy in 1942 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. She was the first Asian American woman to join the U.S. Navy and became the first female to operate flexible-mount or turret-mounted machine guns on an aircraft in the Navy. She left the Navy in 1946 at the rank of lieutenant.

Navy Rear Adm. Peter A. Gumataotao, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Plans and Policy, NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Va., is a native of Guam who served as guest speaker for the 2016 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a ceremony at Naval information Forces, Naval Network Warfare Command, 10^th Fleet, Suffolk and Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command in Virginia.

Participants of the Pacific Partnership 2017 Women, Peace, and Security symposium

Navy Rear Adm. Cung-Hoon served during World War ll and became the US Navy’s first Asian-American flag officer. He attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1934. He was the first Asian American US citizen to graduate from the academy. He earned the Navy Cross and Silver Star medals for extraordinary heorism as commanding officer of USS Sigsbee from May 1944 to October 1945.