SPECIAL API VETERANS DAY FEATURE
MEET CAPI COMMISSIONER
STAFF SERGEANT JAMES SUONG
Unassuming. Humble. Likeable. These adjectives fall short of describing newest
CAPI Commissioner Staff Sergeant (SSG) James Suong. He is also a dedicated US soldier of 21 years and
a veteran, husband and father of two, and one heckuva hard worker. Digging a little deeper, one begins to grasp the
circumstances that shaped Suong into the person he is today. He is also a
refugee who came to America at a very young age and faced adversity and
overcame numerous hurdles along the way.
Suong’s compelling life story begins in a war-torn Cambodia
in the late 1970s - at a time when the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot is sweeping
across the country forcing urban residents into rural areas where forced agricultural
labor camps awaited them. In what later became infamously known as the Killing
Fields, a young 7-year old James is separated from his father, mother and baby
brother. His father went missing after
an air raid bombing. To this day, no one
is truly certain if he died or survived.
James is sent to live with other youth at a nearby youth labor
camp where they begin reprogramming or “re-educating” youth to embrace Maoist
and Marxist Communist principles. Risking
beatings and possible death, he often smuggled his food ration of hot rice, a
luxury at the time, down to the main camp for his mother and brother. He evaded
soldiers and returned before the evening roll call and anyone noticed his
absences.
Over time, a plan is devised to flee to neighboring Thailand
which required them to cross a severe and mountainous terrain riddled with
landmines. During this three-month trek,
his sibling fell ill, died and was buried in an unmarked grave. Reaching Thailand, he and his mother joined
fellow Cambodians and lived in a refugee camp for one year before they embarked
on the next leg of their odyssey – the one to the United States and Des Moines,
Iowa.
The year is now 1981, and James is a mere 11 years of age. He and his mother live in an apartment complex
with other Cambodian refugees near Methodist Hospital in Des Moines learning to
eke out a new life - one with hope, opportunities and uncertainty. James’ mother works a job at a meat-packing plant
that provides for them, but he sees the toll it takes on her health. He focuses on learning English quickly and
becomes an advocate for his community – translating and filling out forms for basic
benefits, utilities, school registration and whatever else needed done.
English was the path to a better life in his newly adopted country,
and James embraced it fully. But, James
also recalled the time that Academy Award-winning Cambodian actor/doctor Haing
S. Ngor from the movie The
Killing Fields visited his high school and inspired him “…to do something
better with your life, now that you are in this country.” Ngor’s words lit a
fire in James to keep pushing forward, and never take “no” for an answer.
Over the next three decades, he enlisted in the part-time or
traditional Army National Guard (1996); deployed to Kosovo as part of NATO’s
peace-keeping Operation Enduring Freedom mission (2003); transitioned to Active
Guard Reserve or full-time active duty (2009); graduated from Grandview
University with a business degree on the GI Bill (2011); and owned &
operated two successful businesses somewhere in between.
At Camp Dodge, SSG Suong wears two military hats these days.
In his dual role as both Human Resource Specialist and Equal Opportunity
Advisor, for both traditional and active duty reserve forces in Iowa, Suong is
the point person for all API personnel matters and a member of the Joint
Diversity Executive Council which aids in planning opportunities to celebrate
and educate culture and diversity on military bases. The biggest surprise, in the context of
diversity education, has been the learning process to understand the myriad of ethnic,
cultural differences among Asians, who come from all walks of life, to serve in
the US military. Cultural competency is
a much-needed skill in order to do the job well, and Suong credits the
Department of Defense for providing this
training and continuous guidance via the Defense
Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI).
This Veteran’s Day, Suong also recognizes the military for
improving his and the lives of his family. Suong is proud of his Equal Opportunity
Advisor role, because he can now help guide people to a career ladder in the
Guard and generate awareness of programs, enrichment trainings that could lead
to promotions and a fulfilling military career. Part of the job is to also assist those
planning to retire and help them transition into civilian life. A program Suong speaks highly of is the Home
Base Iowa project that connects veterans to careers and resources. http://bit.ly/2jdjFQe
Today, we honor all veterans who served in the US military
forces. Please remember to thank them and
their families for their service, sacrifices and for answering the call to
protect our nation - both here and abroad. We also take this opportunity to thank James Suong for his civic service to the State of Iowa by volunteering on the
Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs on which he and fellow
commissioners strive to make Iowa a better place to live for all generations of
Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.
|
