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Press Releases (ROKSA)_

ROKSA celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage month

Written by MAJOR Tauapai Laupola

May 24, 2007

The Republic of Korea Samoa Association (ROKSA), in conjunction with various agencies that support soldiers at Camp Casey planned and coordinated the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) celebration called 'Warrior Hukilau' on May 19, 2007. This is the largest celebration of its kind on any military installation on the peninsula. The purpose of this event is to celebrate APAHM in and effort to enhance cultural awareness and education through interaction between Asian Pacific Islanders and other ethnicities. Military installations around the world celebrate APAHM 2007 in different ways under the theme - Pursuing Excellence through Leadership, Diversity and Unity.

The month of May has been designated as the APAHM by Public Law 102-450, signed by President George Bush on October 28, 1992. Its purpose is to honor the achievements and contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the United States of America.

The Camp Casey's APAHM celebration 'Warrior Hukilau' was an all-day event that provided a fun, safe and interactive venue for all service members and their families to participate, learn, share and fellowship with different Asian Pacific Island groups. It was a three part festival consisting of day time, evening and unit level events.

The day event was officially opened by LTC Hodges, Camp Casey's Garrison Commander. LTC Hodges thanked all who attended to celebrate APAHM. CPT Faamao Tanielu-Umali, Commander, Warrior Readiness Company, and ROKSA's Vice-President addressed the audience by citing the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans throughout the history of the US. She even touched upon American Samoa and its contribution to the US and the War on Terror.

Food sampling and live entertainment followed immediately after. Unit games were scheduled through out the day, with ROKSA's Summer Bash Luau as the main event of the evening celebrations. Prizes included Stereos, TVs, Gift certificates, CD players, MP3s as well as monetary prizes and two round trip tickets to any destination in Asia and the US.

The Summer Bash Luau is an opportunity for ROKSA to celebrate APAHM with Samoans service members, their chain-of-commands and their friends. As customary with the Samoan culture, guests were greeted with ulas by the young ladies of ROKSA who ushered them to their seats and showed them the hospitality that Samoa is known for.

The program started at 1900hrs with the Master of Ceremony (MC), SSG Talalelei Fautanu welcoming everyone to ROKSA's Summer Bash Luau. This was followed by a lavish buffet lined with Samoan food and all the trimmings cooked and prepared by ROKSA?s very own chef, SSG Vaitogi Taetuli.

After the buffet, the MC introduced the ROKSA President, MAJOR Tauapai Laupola. MAJOR Laupola thanked the audience for supporting ROKSA and APAHM and asked for its continued support of Samoans and Asian Pacific Islanders. He continued by sharing the humble beginning of ROKSA with its motto of providing a home away from home as it strives to promote the Samoan culture. He concluded by saying that Samoans are very patriotic people, but sadly they have suffered the most casualty per capita of any other state or city of its size in prosecuting the War on Terror.

The guest speaker for the evening was COL Christopher Queen, Commander, 1HBCT BDE. COL Queen seized the moment to share his thoughts on Diversity, fellowship and friendship. He zeroed in on ROKSA as an organization who takes care of its soldiers and promoting its culture by creating opportunities for its members & friends to come and fellowship in the spirit of love and respect. He was impressed at how a group of soldiers from all over Korea planned and coordinated such a daunting task of a dinner-show with a great turn-out and a diverse audience. After COL Queen's remarks, ROKSA presented him with its very own wood-burnt framed logo and a ROKSA coin as a token of its appreciation for his support.

ROKSA's involvement throughout this whole celebration can be best described by COL Queen's remarks "ROKSA is made up of proud, caring Samoans who love to promote and share its culture with everyone as it is evident by the diversity of the audience who came to support ROKSA's Summer Bash Luau." He further commented that every time he passes-by the Iron Triangle at Camp Hovey, home of the 1HBCT headquarters, there is always a group of Samoans hosting a BBQ and sharing its culture with not only their friends, but with strangers who walk by the area.

COL Queen cited two more examples about how caring ROKSA members are: SSG Fautanu, Talalelei walked into his office without an appointment and asked, "Sir, I need to talk to you about one of my Samoan soldier that will be coming in to see you for a disciplinary action. He is a good soldier heading down the wrong path; to make the long story short, that soldier still has his rank and has PCS to the US; the second case was when ROKSA contacted him personally to help release Samoan soldiers for a dinner with Congressman Faleomavaega; as a result of that effort, he tasked his SGM Ortiz to make sure every Samoan in his command receives a bus ticket to attend the Congressman's dinner at Yongsan Army Garrison. COL Queen concluded by thanking ROKSA for inviting him as its guest speaker and pledged his support of future ROKSA events. The show by ROKSA's dance group entertained the audience immediately after.

ROKSA's entertainment for this year's APAHM was choreographed by SSG Talalelei Fautanu, Mr. Joe Saofa'i Nansen and Georgina Laupola. The three uniforms used for this event were designed by SPC Leuceana Leauma and Georgina Laupola.

The performance by ROKSA electrified the audience and kept them on the edge of their seats for over an hour with a mixture of different island dances. The audience responded with an explosive enthusiasm as the ROKSA dancers entertained them with their upbeat songs and dances. ROKSA opened the show with a shocking performance of the Manu Samoa's war dance, followed by young ladies of ROKSA performing dances from the different islands of the Pacific. Dazzling the audience with their bright and colorful uniforms and fast-beat songs, the crowd roared with applause as each number was completed.

The audience participation during the slap dance, the hulas, and the war dance brought them off their seats with laughter and endless applause. The 'sasa' was the last item on the show before the finale, 'taualuga', performed by SPC Leuceana Leauma adding the finishing touch for yet another memorable APAHM celebration. The audience gave ROKSA a long standing ovation as the MC introduced the ROKSA's dance group.

ROKSA's Dance Group Asian Pacifc 2007. Front Row: (L-R) Leuceana Leauma, Georgina Laupola, Telesia utupo, Lucia Kiluwe, AnnaTheresa Laupola, Lindsey Laupola, Athenia Laupola, Leilani Manibusan, & Aja Tuiasosopo Nansen. Back Row: (L-R) Vaitogi Taetuli, Tima Siatu'u, Ropati Sooalo; Brian Kalapu, Pe'a Polu, Joe Saofa'i Nansen, Talalelei Fautanu, & Tauapai Laupola

ROKSA is proud of the support and contribution it has continued to provide to all Samoan service members on the peninsula. The fellowship and bringing them together for this APAHM celebration is a commendable effort. ROKSA is a house-hold name on the peninsula due to its support of soldiers' through community activities. The exposure that ROKSA has on the peninsula has paid great dividend with key leaders and different chain-of-commands at all levels. The success of this years APAHM celebration is credited to the leadership and commitment of ROKSA, its members as ambassadors of Samoa, taken care of soldiers and living up to its motto of providing a home away from home for Samoan soldiers and their friends.

The individuals that made this APAHM celebration a success are: SSG Talalelei Fautanu, SSG Vaitogi Taetuli, SSG Pe'a Polu, CPL Ropati Sooalo, PFC Tima Siatu'u, PFC Brian Kalapu, Mr. Joe Saofa'i Nansen and his wife Aja Tuiasosopo Nansen, SPC Leuceana Leauma, PV2 Telesia Utupo, SPC Lucia Kiluwe, SPC Leilani Manibusan, the Laupola girls, (Anna Theresa, Georgina, Athenia & Lindsey), Timoteo and his wife Rita Shelton. Thanks to Tom and Easter Bruce for donating all door prizes for ROKSA's Luau.

Visit us at www.roksa.info to view what ROKSA has done and stop-by our section called 'ROKSA Remembers' to pay tribute to our 'toa of Samoa' who paid the ultimate sacrifice during this memorial day.

SPC Yorhena Panama Selected for All-Army Volleyball Trials
Written by MAJ Tauapai Laupola

Specialist (SPC) Yorhena Maoina Loimata Panama has been selected for the All-Army Volleyball trials at West Point Military Academy, NY. SPC Panama has received military temporary duty orders for this trip and has departed Korea for West Point Military Academy Saturday, 14 April 2007. The All Army volleyball trials will continue through out April and will culminate with the Armed Forces Tournament in May. Rena, as she is known by her ROKSA family, is the proud daughter of Reverend Ekepati Mutu Panama of Utulei and the late Helena Onosa’i Mageo Panama of Pago Pago, AS. She has played in the All-Army volleyball team for the last three years and was a gold medalist last year.

SPC Yorhena Panama proudly talks of how her parents encouraged them to learn to play volleyball at an early age while growing up in Leone, Kanana Fou and Fagaitua where her parents were ministers for the Fagaitua Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa. Rena developed and honed her volleyball skills at Fagaitua High School (FHS). She was a standout volleyball player at FHS; where she earned the Most Valuable player status as a sophmore and the Athlete of the year during her senior year. After she graduated from FHS in 1996, she went on to play volleyball for East Central Missouri Junior College, Union, Missouri. She was later recruited and awarded a volleyball scholarship by the University of Missouri-St Louis. Rena had a very impressive volleyball track record in college. However, during her senior year, she received news that her mother's health was faltering; she returned home immediately to help care for her until she passed away in 2004.

In April 2004, she joined the US Army as a 14T, patriot launch missile operator. After her basic and advance individual training, she was assigned to C/Battery/5-52 ADA, 11th Brigade, Ft Bliss, Texas from 2004-2006. She moved to Korea in the fall of 2006 and was assigned to C Battery, 1-43 ADA 35 BDE, Osan, Air Force Base, Korea. Rena intends to use the military educational benefits to finish her internship in Occupational Therapy to complete her degree.

Rena is a member of the Republic of Korea Samoa Association (ROKSA). ROKSA wishes Rena well with the All Army volleyball trials and a safe journey from Korea to West Point Academy, NY and back.

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