Tag: military

Soon Ki Bae, who also goes by Simon, was born in Japanese-occupied Korea in 1935 in South Jeolla Province. He recalls how the country was liberated while he was in the third grade, but political turbulence continued for much longer. The Korean War broke out when Bae was in middle school, and wartime anxiety followed him around. He was weary of police during the day, partisans at night. Political unrest would continue to spur anxiety even after the war’s end through the April 19th Revolution, and the following May 16th Coup in 1961. By chance, it was during the coup that Bae enlisted in the military to fulfill his mandatory service. After decades of turbulence at home, Bae moved to Germany to work as a contracted miner, relocating to Chicago with some friends he had made in the new country at the end of his contract. Slowly, the former miners opened restaurants, groceries, and other small businesses, building a Koreatown on the North Side of the city. Along the way, he’s been actively involved in cultural efforts such as the formation of a performing samulnori troup and even a saxophone sextet. Despite his hardships, Bae reminds us that the key to staying vibrant in one’s golden years is to continue seeking out activities that encourage youthful enthusiasm.

It all started with chimaek. Lisa Puckett was born in Hawaii to a mother from the countryside of South Korea, and a father from the countryside of North Carolina. The two met after a late night of chicken and beer while her father was stationed in Osan. The couple eventually married, raising a military family and causing the Pucketts to move often, leaving Lisa with little ties to friends or roots in any distinct culture.

Corey was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted with his twin brother to a white American family in Iowa. Though his home city was not small, there were not many Asians or a support system, leaving him to navigate the trauma of separation and the confusion of his Korean identity alone. The pain he felt culminated throughout the years, and he soon found himself in foster care because his parents couldn’t control him.

Janet Russell was a military kid born in Germany to a Korean mother and a Belizean father. She didn’t grow up seeing any Koreans around her, and since she was more acquainted with her father’s family, they told her that she was Black and needed to identify with her father’s race. So she lived her life identifying as Black.

L. Song Richardson was born in El Paso, Texas to a Korean American mother and African American father who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Richardson grew up with strong influences of Korean culture from her mother who always stressed the importance of education which would later contribute to Richardson’s passion for teaching and research. In this Legacy Project, Richardson reflects back on the challenges of growing up mixed race and how her parents fell in love. L. Song Richardson is the current Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law with joint appointments in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and in the Department of Asian American Studies.

Joe Ahn recalls feeling both fear and anger during SaIGu: fear that his father would get hurt during the riots, and anger that the people who were most affected by the public’s expressed frustration with the government were the people who had the least resources. As businesses went bankrupt in Koreatown, new laws were created that effectively made it very difficult for the common types of Korean-owned businesses to reopen. Joe Ahn played a critical role in helping to pass a revitalization act that included components such as: loans and tax credits for Korean-owned businesses.

Suk Jong Lee reflects on the difficulties she faced as an Army chaplain, due to being both female and Asian.

In this film Dan reflects on his journey as an activist as well as a gay man seeking acceptance from his mother and father who are conservative Christians. His father is a Southern Baptist minister in California. Dan talks openly about the challenges of being a full time activist, the emotional and mental toll which has resulted in him being hospitalized for mental health treatment, and the Christian values that enabled him to get through the difficult times even as he felt abandoned and ostracized by the Christian community in which he grew up.

“You know how sometimes you meet someone and it just clicks,” Kleisley said. “That’s how it was when I first met Mark.” That 1951 chance meeting near a stream in Korea blossomed into a 60-plus-year friendship for the Marine from Rochester, N.Y., and the former homeless kid from North Korea.

“I have to say – and I say this with a record of unblemished heterosexuality – Will Demps is smokin’ hot.”

You may already be familiar with the story of how Choi helped to bring about the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT), the U.S. policy that banned openly homosexual individuals from serving in the military.