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I was gone most of the month of May but came back to Camp Bondsteel to be part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Nice part about being in the military is that all special occasions are not only celebrated but education is encouraged and we have been schooled every month on a different topic. Our equal opportunity representatives along with the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) specialist have done a terrific job in assisting us and creating cultural awareness to include Black History Month and Womens History.
This month we celebrated Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States and in true military fashion we had a celebration! I know that May was originally chosen by President George H. Bush because it marks the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in May 1843 and because it commemorates the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in May of 1869, which the majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Here at Camp Bondsteel we had us a big ole’ Luau!!
The pig was roasting over the spit, complete with the apple in the mouth. Dancers from the different companies gave us a
show with traditional dress and music. We held the celebration in the volleyball pit which gave us a feeling of being on a beach that came close to resembling Hawaii. (okay, not quite like Hawaii, but there was sand!)
Our local festival had wonderful fruits and side dishes that complimented the big giant pig and it wasn’t just for the soldiers from the US. All our multi-national soldiers joined in when it came to enjoying the food, participating in the limbo competition, playing musical chairs and volleyball.
When I heard that this months theme was “Leadership to Meet the Challenge of a Changing World”, I thought it so very fitting for the situation we are in. For the past 7 months this rotation, KFOR 12, has been solely focused on “What do we do when peace breaks out”. We have downsized, changed how we patrol in the communities and have integrated ourselves more into the townships rather than work with the individuals on the street corners. It has been a challenge to change the mindset and yet there is no greater fan of peace than a soldier.
Changing mindsets has not only been successful during our missions
spanning across Kosovo, but also within our very own Battle Group. We have taken diversity to a level that very few ever experience in their careers, let alone in our personal lives. North Dakotan’s have learned how to understand the dialect of the Deep South, the New Yorker’s live next to the soldiers from the US Virgin Islands and we all got used to the carefree types from California. Add in the many countries that we cohabitate with and this should make us all grow in leaps and bounds and gain a wide understanding of others who are not “just like us”.
So as we snacked on pineapple and had just a few hours of island life it was very refreshing to share these differences and all laugh the same common laugh and share smiles that know no boundaries.
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