Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Harry Harris, J. first Asian American to command USPACOM

 

Harry Harris Jr., born August 4, 1956 in Yokosuka, Japan, is the first Asian American to lead the US Pacific Command. His mother was Japanesse and his father was a US Navy Machinist's mate, aboard the USS Lexington.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1978.

Harris was nominated by President Barack Obama to command the USPACOM on September 22, 2014.  The Senate confirmed his appointment on December 11, making him the first Asian American to achieve this position.

Adm. Harry Harris J. nominated to lead PACOM

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Major Taylor Dinh, highest ranking Asian-American in OKC PD

In 2022, Taylor Dinh, a Vietnamese American, was promoted to Major, becoming the highest ranking Asian American in the Oklahoma City Police Department.  I can't find much about him on the internet, but congratulations!

Dinh's Story

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: David Chiu, first Asian American mayor in Texas

David Chiu, born in China, lived in Hong Kong and Australia before moving to the United States.  He ran for mayor of San Marcos, Texas in 2000, and won, making him the first Asian American to become mayor in the state of Texas.  He served for two years when he was defeated in the 2002 election.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Cyndi Munson, first Asian American elected to OK Legislature

Cyndi Munson, born May 24, 1985 in Monterey, California, grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma.  She graduated from University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in political science.  She first ran for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, but lost to the incumbent. She ran again in 2015 and became the first Asian American woman to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature.  She became the minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

She announced her gubernatorial bid in April 2025.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Pi Alpha Phi, first Asian American fraternity

Pi Alpha Phi Fraternity, established February 1, 1929 at the University of California at Berkeley, was the first Asian American interest fraternity.  At the time, UC-Berkeley fraternities typically discriminated against men of color, so three students decided to start a fraternity for the several hundred students of Chinese descent enrolled there. 

The fraternity encouraged its members to learn Asian-American culture, heritage, and history.  Pi Alpha Phi became national when Beta chapter was established at Stony Brook University in 1990.  By 2014, it had expanded to ten chapters, an associate chapter, and six colonies.

Unfortunately, in 2020, its National Board of directors put a moratorium on chapter activities after multiple reports of sexual misconduct.  In November 2021, a pledge died after a hazing incident and three people were hospitalized.  The fraternity announced the closure of all chapters in August 2023.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Elizabeth Ohi, first Asian American female to practice law

Kuma Elizabeth Ohi, born February 9, 1911 in Chicago, Illinois, became the first Japanese American female to practice law in the United States in 1937.  

She was detained after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but Arthur Goldberg, the attorney for whom Ohi was working as a clerk, intervened.   She served as an ensign in the US Navy, and afterwards moved to Washington, DC.  She became an attorney at the Office of Management and Budget and the US Department of Labor.

She passed away in August 1976 in Washington, DC.
 

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Eric Shinseki, first Asian American four-star general

Eric Shinseki was born November 28, 1942 in Lihue, Kaua'i, Hawai'ian territory to a family of Japanese ancestry.  His grandparents emigrated from Hiroshima to Hawai'i in 1901. 

Taking inspiration from his uncles, he graduated from the US Military Academy in 1965 and was commissioned as second lieutenant.  He served two tours in the Vietnam War.  The first was with the 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions as an artillery observer; and then as commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 5th Calvary. 

He was injured by a land mine, but recovered and returned to active duty in 1971. For his service, he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts.

He became the first Asian American four-star general.  In 2009, the US Senate unanimously confirmed Shinseki as the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, becoming the first Asian American to hold the position.  He resigned in 2014 after a scandal involving the Veteran Health Administration.  

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Yo-Yo Ma, musician extraordinaire

Yo-Yo Ma, born October 7, 1955 in Paris, France to Chinese parents, is a renowned solo cellist who has performed with orchestras around the world.  He has recorded over 90 albums and has won 19 Grammy Awards. 

He began playing cello at age four with his father.  He was seven years old when he and his parents moved to Boston and then New York City.  He continued to study at Julliard School before transferring to Harvard University for a liberal arts education. 

He has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006.  Ma has received the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Kennedy Center Honors.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: John Cho, Star Trek actor

John Cho, born June 16, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea, immigrated to Los Angeles, California when he was six years old. Cho starred as Hikaru Sulu in the reboot of the Star Trek series.  He also appeared in the American Pie series and Harold & Kumar series.  

He starred in Searching, the first mainstream Hollywood thriller with an Asian American lead actor. 

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Francis Takemoto, first Native Hawai'ian brigadier general in US Army

Francis Takemoto, born November 28, 1912 in Honolulu, Hawai'i, graduated from University of Hawai'i with a degree in chemistry in 1935. He participated in the ROTC program and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in the Army Reserve. 

In March 1943, he reported for active duty and sent to train with the 442nd Infantry in Mississippi.  In March 1944, he was transferred to the 100th Infantry Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division in Italy.  He earned a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart, after receiving a shrapnel wound to the side of his head, for his WWII service.

Takemoto was released from active duty in January 1946, and promoted to captain in the Army Reserve in September 1946. He was promoted to colonel in July 1960.  President Lyndon Johnson nominated him to be Brigadier general in the Army and Takemoto was confirmed by the US Senate in February 1964. 

He retired in May 1968. He passed away in May 2002 in Honolulu. 

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Patsy Mink, first Asian American woman elected to Congress

Patsy Takemoto Mink, born December 6, 1927 on Maui in Hawai'ian territory, graduated from Maui High School in 1944 and attended the University of Hawai'i at Manoa for two years before transferring to the University of Nebraska. She experienced racism and worked to eliminate segregation policies, but illness forced her to return to Hawai'i to complete her studies.

She applied to twelve medical schools but was rejected by all of them.  She applied to the University of Chicago Law School in 1948.  Unable to find employment after graduation, Mind returned to Hawai'i with her husband and daughter in 1952. She opened her own law practice in 1953 and became a member of the Democratic Party.  

The next year she was elected to the territorial House of Representatives, making her the first Japanese-American woman to serve in the House.  Two years later, she became the first woman to serve in the territorial Senate.

In 1962, she was elected to the new Hawai'i State Senate and became the first Asian-American woman to serve in a state legislature.  In 1964, she ran for federal office and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mink served until her death in 2002.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Mink

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Michael Chang, first Asian American to win the French Open

Michael Chang, born February 22, 1972 in Hoboken, New Jersey, is the youngest man in history to win a singles major, winning the French Open in 1989.  He became the first Asian American to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament in men's singles.  He won many "youngest-ever" records in his career.

He defeated Ivan Lendl, who was the #1 ranked player in the world, the current Australian Open champion and three-time French Open winner.

Chang won a total of 34 top-level professional singles titles, seven of them being Masters titles.  In 1996, he was ranked No. 2 in the world.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Brian Tochi, Star Trek actor

Brian Tochi, born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents who survived the WWII internment camps, has appeared on Star Trek (original series) as a child, and Star Trek: The Next Generation as an adult, the only actor to do so.

He played Ray in the episode And the Children Shall Lead in 1968.  He then appeared in the TNG episode Night Terrors as Ensign Kenny Lin. 

Tochi is best known for his appearances in three popular film franchises of all time: Revenge of the Nerds (as Takashi), Police Academy (as Nogata), and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, starring as Leonardo. He also appeared for the entire run of Space Academy, with fellow And the Children Shall Lead actress Pamelyn Ferdin.  Wow!

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: James Smith, first Native Hawai'ian to win Medal of Honor

 

I cannot find much information on Seaman Smith.  He was born July 5(?), 1838 in Hawai'i prior to it becoming a US territory.  He immigrated to the US and joined the Navy.  He was stationed aboard the USS Kansas near Greytown, Nicaragua on April 12, 1872, when the ship's captain and several members of the crew were drowning.  

His citation states that "Smith displayed great coolness and self-possession at the time Comdr. A. F. Crosman and others were drowned near Greytown, Nicaragua, 12 April 1872, and by extraordinary heroism and personal exertion, prevented great loss of life."

I have not been able to find any information on the incident, so I don't know what happened or what Seaman Smith did at that time.

Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery July 9, 1872 making him the first Native Hawai'ian to win the honor.  

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Gary Locke, first Chinese American governor

Gary Locke, born January 21, 1950 in Seattle, Washington, is the first Asian American to become the governor of state in the continental US. His father was born in Taishan, China and moved to the US in 1931.

He attended Yale University, graduating with a BA in political science in 1972. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1975.  In  1996, He won the general election for governor of Washington, becoming the first Chinese American governor in US history. Locke was re-elected in 2000, but declined a run for a third term.

In March 2009, he was sworn in as President Obama's Secretary of Commerce.  Locke became US Ambassador to China in 2011.  He stepped down as ambassador in November 2013 to spend more time with his family.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Haing S. Ngor, first Asian American to win Oscar for Best Supporting Actor

Haing Somnang Ngor, born March 22, 1940 in Samrong Yong, Cambodia, is the first Asian American to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  In Phom Pehn, he was practicing surgery and gynecology when the Khmer Rouge took control of the city in 1975.  He had to hide his medical skills due to the regime's intense hostility toward professionals.  He survived three Cambodian prison camps, although he lost his wife and child in childbirth.  

After the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, he worked as a doctor in a refugee camp in Thailand and traveled to the US with his niece in August 1980.  Although he was no actor and had no previous acting experience, he was cast as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields, and won many honors, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  

He continued acting in movies and on television. He 1990, he helped organize a foundation to raise funds to care for orphans and help rebuild Cambodia's infrastructure.

Ngor was shot dead outside his home in Los Angeles in February 1996. 

Celebrating Asian American Heritage Month: John Lee, first Korean American to play in the NFL

John Lee, born May 19, 1964 in Seoul, South Korea, is the first Asian American to play in the National Football League.  He played baseball in South Korea before moving to Los Angeles with his parents when he was in the sixth grade.  He began playing football in high school and was granted an athletic scholarship to UCLA for his kicking talent.

He went on to set many kicking records, some of which still stand today, while at UCLA. 

He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 1986 NFL draft, to a four-year $900,000 contract, the highest paid player at that time for his position.  Lee is the first Asian American to play in the NFL.  Unfortunately, Lee suffered a slump and began missing field goals.  He was waived in 1987 and signed as a free agent by the LA Raiders in 1988 but was waived after missing 2 out of 3 field goals in the preseason.

https://youtube.com/shorts/tk7TQmWSA8w?si=bxQJho7ieBx8jPlr

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Angela Buchdahl, first Asian American rabbi

Angela Buchdahl, born July 8, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea, is the first Asian American to be ordained as rabbi in the US.  Her mother was a Korean Buddhist and her father was Jewish.  Her family moved to the US when she was 5 and raised Jewish in Tacoma, Washington.

She graduated from Yale University with a BS in Religious Studies in 1994 and started her rabbinic studies at Hebrew Union College.  She was ordained as a rabbi in 2001 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion becoming the first Asian American rabbi.  In 2013, Buchdahl was named Senior Rabbi of the Central Synagogue. 

In December 2014, she delivered led prayers at the White House Hanukkah celebration, welcomed by President Barack Obama.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Roman Gabriel, first Asian American quarterback in the NFL

Roman Gabriel, born August 5, 1940 in Wilmington, North Carolina to a Filipino immigrant, played college football for the North Carolina State and earned two All-American honors in 1960 and 1961. He was second pick in the 1962 NFL draft and played for the Los Angeles Rams, becoming the first Filipino-American to play quarterback in the NFL. He played backup quarterback from 1962 to 1965, when he started winning games.  In 1966, Gabriel was moved to starting quarterback. 

In 1967, he was named AP Offensive Player of the Week for the last two weeks of the season, and a second-team All-Pro.  He was named MVP in 1969.

After the 1972 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and played with them until 1977.

He had a brief acting career, appearing twice on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and on an episode of Wonder Woman.

He passed away in April 2024.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islanders Heritage Month: Gordon Pai‘ea Chung-Hoon, first Asian American rear admiral in US Navy

Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon, born July 25, 1910 in Hawai'ian territory to a Chinese father and Hawai'ian mother, attended the US Naval Academy in May 1934, becoming the first Asian American graduate from the academy. He played football for the Navy as halfback and punter, helping break an 11-year losing streak against Army in 1934. 

After graduation, he was assigned to the USS Indianapolis as ensign.  In January 1937, he served on the USS Montgomery, and then lieutenant (junior grade) on the USS Dent in January 1939.

He served on the USS Arizona as a lieutenant and was in Hawai'i on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  He was in Honolulu when the attack occurred.  He then worked as a naval liaison officer with coastal artillery, and also served on the cruiser USS Honolulu.

In May 1944, Chung-Hoon commanded the destroyer USS Sigsbee. On April 14, 1945, the Sigsbee assisted in an aircraft carrier strike force off Kyushu, when a kamikaze crashed into her.  The  explosion killed 23 men, knocked out the port engine and steering control and severely damaging her starboard engine.

Admiral Halsey told Chung-Hoon to scuttle the ship, but Chung-Hoon refused, saying "No, I have kids on here that can't swim and I'm not putting them in the water.  I'll take her back."

He managed to keep the ship a float while continuing to fire on enemy aircraft, and made it safely back to port. He received the Navy Cross and the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary heroism.

Chung-Hoon commanded the USS John W. Thomason during the Korean War and was promoted to captain July 1, 1953. He retired in 1959 and was promoted to rear admiral, making him the first Asian American flag officer of the US Navy.

He passed away on July 24, 1979, the day before his 69th birthday.