R-L: Insun, Jerry, Denise, Lawrence, Edi
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Frank Fong: Fighter Pilot Extreme
An American citizen, Frank Fong wanted to serve his country. He volunteered to join the army in WWII. However, despite Fong’s eagerness and national pride, the army denied him entry because of his race. Fong tried to get local help and support, but was unsuccessful. Eventually he had to write to General Hap Arnold for assistance. After reviewing Fong’s application, General Arnold appointed Fong as a pilot candidate. After training for a year and a half, Frank Fong graduated at the top of his pilot training class and became one of the first Chinese American fighter pilots in WWII.
During the war he successfully and skillfully shot down two German pilot fighters. Unfortunately, during the war he sustained a spinal and eye injury (that led him to be blind in the right eye) that sidelined him from the war. However, due to pilot shortage he was called back to fight despite his condition (the army was unaware of the severity of his injuries and was ignored due to Fong’s eagerness to go back to war and fight). On June 6, 1944, Fong provided air covering during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. He rescued more than 1,000 pilots between January and May 1945. Fong flew ten more missions through June 5-13 before a flight surgeon ordered him to be transferred in order to get an evaluation and treatment on his eye and spine.Despite his injuries, once again he chose to continue. He also served in the Korean and Vietnam War. Eventually, in 1972, he left the Air Force as a major with more than 400 hours of combat and twenty accolades which includes eight Air Medals, two Distinguished Flying Crosses (highest flying honor), and a purple heart.
Purple Heart
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air MedalIn 2007, Frank Fong died. However his story will never be forgotten. Frank Fong broke the barrier for all Chinese Americans. He was a man that had so much passion, and love for his country that he did all he could to defend it. He saw himself as an American. For that, the will always be remembered: Frank Fong, the fighter pilot that kept on fighting
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http://us_asians.tripod.com/timeline-1940.html
http://www.asianweek.com/2009/07/10/chinese-american-hero-frank-fong/
http://www.electronicaviation.com/news/Military/1110
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Denise Lee
Kenji Ito: Man of Many Words
Born in 1909, Kenji Ito was a gifted public speaker, debater, lawyer, and community leader. Correction. Kenji Ito was a Japanese American community leader in a time where Japanese Americans were targeted as secret agents for Japan. In 1935, Ito got his law degree at the University of Washington, and in 1936 he was admitted to the Washington state bar. In 1937, as a 28 year old, he moved back to his native town, Seattle, where he was frequently asked by local civic groups to debate the Sino-Japanese War. He openly expressed Japanese views even though the US supported China.
"I was expressing myself as an American -- of Japanese ancestry, of course - - who knew something about Japan and Japanese history" – Kenji Ito
In over a few years, Ito made 200 pro-Japanese speeches.
In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Within the next few days, federal agents showed up at Ito’s home and arrested him for failing to register as a spy for the Japanese government. The government hoped that they could use Ito’s pro-Japanese speeches as proof of espionage. However, Ito argued that he was just an U.S. citizen merely educating the public. Ito was one of hundreds of Japanese Americans that were arrested by the FBI in wave of hysteria following the Pearl Harbor attacks. Ito was tried, but was founded not guilty by an all white jury. In his closing statements, Ito proved his citizenship and where his loyalty lied."I'd rather live in this country behind bars than in another country where the dictator holds the olive branch in one hand and the dagger in the other" – Kenji Ito
Despite his acquittal, Ito and his family were evacuated and sent to internment camps (Tule Lake and then Minidoka) due to the U.S. Executive Order 9066. They were forced to leave everything they had and everyone they knew behind. In the camps he provided legal assistance to those who needed it.
After the war, he moved to LA and opened a law office in Little Tokyo. He was admitted to the California bar in 1945 and continued to practice law for 50 years. In little Tokyo, he helped former internees reclaim the land they lost because the executive order had forced them to abandon their property. He continued to practice law until his early 80s. During that time, he focused on corporate law and represented Japanese companies involved in film, motorcycle, automobile, and consumer product industries. In his lifetime, especially during the 1940’s, despite prejudice and hatred, Ito was able to be an American and still support his Japanese heritage and culture. He did not let government’s injustice affect him negatively, but instead he fought against the injustice and allowed other fellow Japanese Americans get a voice back by helping them reclaim their land and place in the states....
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/15/BA291862.DTL
http://us_asians.tripod.com/timeline-1940.html
....
Denise Lee
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
What ethnicity are you?
Consider for a moment all of your Asian friends.
Now think about all of the ones who call themselves "Chinese".
And now, think of those who consider themselves "Taiwanese".
Now consider the physical and cultural similarities between those who consider themselves "Chinese" and "Taiwanese". Most likely, you'll find that these two groups look almost physically identical and share multiple cultural similarities.
Now consider what would happen if you called a "Taiwanese" person "Chinese" or vice versa. If you're like me, or anyone who has Taiwanese friends, you'll know that upon being called Chinese, the Taiwanese person would instantly correct you, either casually or harshly.
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Why is it that the Taiwanese take so much offense to being called Chinese? After all, they share identical physical traits, and their cultures have many similarities. Why is it that there is so much friction between them? The answer comes from the late period of the Chinese Civil War in which two distinct cultural identities were formed.
The Chinese Civil War was a conflict between the then in power Nationalists led by Chiang Kai Shek (who was backed by the United States) and the Communist leader Mao Zedong. The war initially favored Chiang Kai Shek, but then quickly turned sour when Mao gained support from the popular masses and eventually forced Chiang Kai Shek to retreat to the island of Formosa. This island would later be renamed Taiwan. It was here that the final battle of the Chinese Civil War was fought and where two different cultural identities were formed.
In the mainland, the Communist forces of Mao Zedong were victorious. Communist China quickly became a dominating force, exerting influence over the events of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The "Communist Chinese" identity quickly became synonymous with the "People's identity" in that the Communist ideals were directed at the masses. It is there that modern Chinese-American identity is derived. Almost all those who came to America after the defeat of Chiang Kai Shek were those who did not fit into the Communist system. To them, the word "Communist" was taboo and associated with terror, hate, and oppression. Those who came to the here sought refuge from regime that was Mao Zedong.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who consider themselves Taiwanese. These people are the survivors of the Chinese Civil War. Their cultural identity is scarred with defeat from the Communists. Like those who came to America from the Chinese mainland, they too held a strong hatred for the Communists. But their hatred stemmed not from oppression, but rather from defiance. The Taiwanese saw themselves as righteous compared to the Communists. When they came to America, it was by choice.
Those who are Taiwanese pride themselves in their existence. They were never oppressed, but rather, defeated. Now the first generation that came here to America carries the bitterness of defeat with them.
Despite a mutual hatred of the Communist regime, Taiwanese-Americans and Chinese-Americans both have conflicting identities in America.
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Edwina "Edi" Dai
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Taiwan_NASA_Terra_MODIS_23791.jpg
http://telematicsnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/taiwan_flag1.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1285915.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/chinas_stance.stm
Now think about all of the ones who call themselves "Chinese".
And now, think of those who consider themselves "Taiwanese".
Now consider the physical and cultural similarities between those who consider themselves "Chinese" and "Taiwanese". Most likely, you'll find that these two groups look almost physically identical and share multiple cultural similarities.
Now consider what would happen if you called a "Taiwanese" person "Chinese" or vice versa. If you're like me, or anyone who has Taiwanese friends, you'll know that upon being called Chinese, the Taiwanese person would instantly correct you, either casually or harshly. -----
Why is it that the Taiwanese take so much offense to being called Chinese? After all, they share identical physical traits, and their cultures have many similarities. Why is it that there is so much friction between them? The answer comes from the late period of the Chinese Civil War in which two distinct cultural identities were formed.
The Chinese Civil War was a conflict between the then in power Nationalists led by Chiang Kai Shek (who was backed by the United States) and the Communist leader Mao Zedong. The war initially favored Chiang Kai Shek, but then quickly turned sour when Mao gained support from the popular masses and eventually forced Chiang Kai Shek to retreat to the island of Formosa. This island would later be renamed Taiwan. It was here that the final battle of the Chinese Civil War was fought and where two different cultural identities were formed.In the mainland, the Communist forces of Mao Zedong were victorious. Communist China quickly became a dominating force, exerting influence over the events of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The "Communist Chinese" identity quickly became synonymous with the "People's identity" in that the Communist ideals were directed at the masses. It is there that modern Chinese-American identity is derived. Almost all those who came to America after the defeat of Chiang Kai Shek were those who did not fit into the Communist system. To them, the word "Communist" was taboo and associated with terror, hate, and oppression. Those who came to the here sought refuge from regime that was Mao Zedong.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who consider themselves Taiwanese. These people are the survivors of the Chinese Civil War. Their cultural identity is scarred with defeat from the Communists. Like those who came to America from the Chinese mainland, they too held a strong hatred for the Communists. But their hatred stemmed not from oppression, but rather from defiance. The Taiwanese saw themselves as righteous compared to the Communists. When they came to America, it was by choice.
Those who are Taiwanese pride themselves in their existence. They were never oppressed, but rather, defeated. Now the first generation that came here to America carries the bitterness of defeat with them.Despite a mutual hatred of the Communist regime, Taiwanese-Americans and Chinese-Americans both have conflicting identities in America.
-----
Edwina "Edi" Dai
-----
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Taiwan_NASA_Terra_MODIS_23791.jpg
http://telematicsnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/taiwan_flag1.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1285915.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/chinas_stance.stm
We Love Spam!
Spam was introduced in 1937, and its popularity all over the world including Asia, Europe, and the United States caused it to influence millions of people’s daily diet until the present day. It is a canned product made by the Hormel Foods Corporations; its main ingredient is pork’s shoulder meat. It has been continuously popular in Asia in the 1940s and 50s, especially in South Korea and Japan because of the U.S. army base there. I believe Spam has been a significant food product in human history because of the following reasons: it transformed and created many Asian countries’ food, it dominates part of Asia’s food industry, and it shows which Asian countries had been impacted by wars.
Spam has definitely created innovative foods in Asia because many Asian countries have at least one food that is cooked with Spam. For example, South Korea keeps producing Spam in its own factory and has been one of the most popular industries in the country. Most Korean families have Spam cans on their kitchen shelves and cook different kinds of food with them. As a Korean who lived in Korea for many years, I ate Spam with rice, fried eggs, and ketchup when there was no other food to eat. During school picnics, parents make kimbab, a Korean traditional rice roll with assorted vegetables and meat, and the children love having Spam in them.
During the Korean War (1950-1953), many U.S. army soldiers lived in Korea and their presence gave Spam its popularity in Korea. Because Spam was a convenient way to eat meat, U.S. brought many Spam products to the army base. Because Korea was in jeopardy at the time and many Koreans lived in poverty, their only way to get valuable resources and food was from the U.S. army. Among those valuable resources, Spam was very popular because meat was almost non-existent and very expensive at the time. The stew that was created with Spam is called Budae Jjigae*. Koreans who lived in poverty literally mixed everything that was available to them and because the U.S. army enjoyed Spam, their major ingredient became Spam. Because Budae Jjigae mixed everything (including rotten and spoiled food) that was available, it was also known as the “pig’s soup.” However, budae jjigae eventually transformed into a popular and healthy food that many Koreans enjoy in the present time. It mixes kimchi, tofu, vegetables, assorted hams, noodles, and most importantly, Spam.
After doing some research on Spam in Asia, I found out that some people give Spam cans in gift sets during holidays. Many other Asian countries such as Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Philippine, also blend their own cultural food with Spam.
Spam’s popularity has widened greatly and Asians who immigrated to America continue to consume Spam greatly. I believe Spam shows Asia’s history of wars because if the U.S. army had not been in Asian countries, Spam had not been able to enjoy such popularity as is today. Spam represents Asian’s life in poverty and hope during the war.
Hawaiian Spam(?)
Someone made a really cute box out of an empty Spam can!
Insun Cheon.
Sammy Lee: Diving into History
Dr. Samuel "Sammy" Lee. A doctor. A diver. The First Asian American to win a gold medal for the United States.
Samuel Lee was born in Fresno, California in 1920 to Korean immigrants who had settled in Hawaii in 1905. Sammy Lee began diving at a very young age and trained for years to accomplish his dreams of one day competing in the World Olympics. The Olympics is a competition bringing in the best athletes from all over the world to compete in various types of sporting events. It is a fundamental element in pop culture, a tradition that has been enjoyed by people everywhere since ancient Roman times. It is this big stage that Sammy was aiming for. Since he was 12 years old, he trained for 16 years to finally be good enough to show the world his talent.
However, this did not come without struggle. Lee would train in the pool in Pasadena, California where rules were very strict. People of color, like himself, could only use the pool once a week, which had to be drained and filled with fresh water that same night. These strict rules are accurate to the kind of racism that occurred during the time. An influx of Asians were coming into America around the time of the gold rush in hopes of attaining a lucky fortune. This caused a "terror" among white people who feared that the Chinese would take all the jobs and ruin the working economy. This fear came to be known as "yellow peril". Despite the yellow peril, however, Lee continued to train as hard as he could despite the racism he faced during his training which even caused him to become ashamed of his heritage. Lee's father responded to that by saying,
In 1948, Lee took his diving talents to compete in the summer Olympics in London. Sammy knew that no Asian American had ever won a gold medal in the Olympics. All gold medalists before him were typically white. For Lee to come into this competition with his eyes on the gold medal was a historical feat within itself. After a spectacular 16-second, three-and-a-half somersault dive, Lee became an Olympic champion and the first Asian-American Olympic gold medalist. In 1952, Lee won a gold medal in the platform diving competition, making him the first male athlete to win 2 gold medals
in that event. Soon after, Lee put his doctoral skills to use serving as a doctor in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in World War II. He went back to diving in 1960 not as the athlete, but as a coach of the U.S. Olympic Diving Team. Lee has paved the way for Asian American athletes not only in the Olympics, but in American sports as well. Coached by Lee, Samoan American, Greg Lougains won gold medals in Olympic springboard and platform diving in 1984. Other Asian American athletes would proceed to win gold medals in weightlifting, swimming, figure skating and more. Sammy Lee paved the way for athletes like Japanese American Kristi Yamaguchi and Chinese American Michelle Kwan who have won gold medals in Olympic figure skating, breaking the mold of the what was thought to be the typical Olympian gold medalist.
Lawrence Dalusung
Samuel Lee was born in Fresno, California in 1920 to Korean immigrants who had settled in Hawaii in 1905. Sammy Lee began diving at a very young age and trained for years to accomplish his dreams of one day competing in the World Olympics. The Olympics is a competition bringing in the best athletes from all over the world to compete in various types of sporting events. It is a fundamental element in pop culture, a tradition that has been enjoyed by people everywhere since ancient Roman times. It is this big stage that Sammy was aiming for. Since he was 12 years old, he trained for 16 years to finally be good enough to show the world his talent.
However, this did not come without struggle. Lee would train in the pool in Pasadena, California where rules were very strict. People of color, like himself, could only use the pool once a week, which had to be drained and filled with fresh water that same night. These strict rules are accurate to the kind of racism that occurred during the time. An influx of Asians were coming into America around the time of the gold rush in hopes of attaining a lucky fortune. This caused a "terror" among white people who feared that the Chinese would take all the jobs and ruin the working economy. This fear came to be known as "yellow peril". Despite the yellow peril, however, Lee continued to train as hard as he could despite the racism he faced during his training which even caused him to become ashamed of his heritage. Lee's father responded to that by saying,
"Son, if you are not proud of the shape of your eyes and the color of your skin, how can your classmates respect you?"
Lee's talent was discovered by his diving coach who trained him to eventually make it to the U.S. National Diving Team in 1942. In 1947, Lee was even able to satisfy his father's wishes, receiving his medical degree at the University of Southern California, School of Medicine. A year later, he would make history.Those words were all Lee needed to rekindle his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
In 1948, Lee took his diving talents to compete in the summer Olympics in London. Sammy knew that no Asian American had ever won a gold medal in the Olympics. All gold medalists before him were typically white. For Lee to come into this competition with his eyes on the gold medal was a historical feat within itself. After a spectacular 16-second, three-and-a-half somersault dive, Lee became an Olympic champion and the first Asian-American Olympic gold medalist. In 1952, Lee won a gold medal in the platform diving competition, making him the first male athlete to win 2 gold medals
in that event. Soon after, Lee put his doctoral skills to use serving as a doctor in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in World War II. He went back to diving in 1960 not as the athlete, but as a coach of the U.S. Olympic Diving Team. Lee has paved the way for Asian American athletes not only in the Olympics, but in American sports as well. Coached by Lee, Samoan American, Greg Lougains won gold medals in Olympic springboard and platform diving in 1984. Other Asian American athletes would proceed to win gold medals in weightlifting, swimming, figure skating and more. Sammy Lee paved the way for athletes like Japanese American Kristi Yamaguchi and Chinese American Michelle Kwan who have won gold medals in Olympic figure skating, breaking the mold of the what was thought to be the typical Olympian gold medalist.Lawrence Dalusung
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