PHILADELPHIA –
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Equal Employment Office held an event for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023 on May 10 in Philadelphia.
Defense Logistics Agency Commander, Army Brig. Gen. Eric Shirley gave remarks before introducing keynote speaker Cliff Akiyama, commissioner on the Mayor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
“These special emphasis programs are an important part of our culture,” Shirley said. “Not only do they afford us the opportunity to learn from one another, but they also remind us to recommit creating an environment of equity and inclusion that allows our organization, our communities and our country to overcome issues and to grow and prosper.”
This year’s theme is: “Advancing Leaders through Opportunity.” This theme highlights the efforts of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the military and federal government in advancing to leadership roles through opportunity.
Akiyama took the audience on a journey of his family history and the impact his ancestors made to our nation’s history.
“My great-grandparents migrated from Japan to the United States,” he said. “It fell on the kids, my grandparents, to learn English. My grandparents spoke Japanese in the house, however, the second they stepped out of the house, they spoke English.”
Akiyama expressed the hardships Japanese Americans went through shortly after the events of Pearl Harbor.
“Imagine receiving notifications stating you have 48-72 hours to gather whatever you can carry,” Akiyama said. “Their belongings like cars and furniture were put in the middle of the streets and burned.”
During the presentation he displayed photos of the relocation camps Japanese Americans were sent to in the South, Midwest and Western states. Many camps ran from mid-1942 until late-1945.
“Understand that these relocation centers were not in urban or metropolitan cities,” Akiyama said. “There were dirt floors, old horse stables and sometimes five families to barracks.”
Japanese Americans were initially barred from serving in the U.S. military during World War II. In 1944, the 100th Infantry Battalion became part of the all-volunteer Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
“Like many second-generation Japanese Americans, my grandfather served with the 442nd," Akiyama said. “He was a fine solider with three campaigns and was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.”
In his conclusion Akiyama gave his advice: “When an opportunity comes, take it!”
DLA Troop Support joins the nation in celebrating the contributions that generations of Asian American and Pacific Islanders have made to American history, society, and culture.