Asian Pacific Awareness Club

Washington DC 3-5 Oct 2008

We spent a weekend visiting the war memorials and museums of DC.  We had a cool dinner at the Fusion Cafe. 

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1,2,7.  WWII Memorial Visit.
3.  Group Photo in front of the Soldier's Memorial.  Look familiar?  Same artist did the one on West Point.
4.  Moonman is in the background as we visit the Air and Space Museum.
5.  Ryan Kim does his park bum imitation.
6.  Reflecting at the Vietnam Memorial.

7th Annual Asian Pacific Heritage Festival, 9 May 2008

With a 90% chance of rain, we held the event indoors at Rob Aud.  We still had over 350 attendees and we had the best food ever. 

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1,2.  Free food=great attendance.  We had a fine assortment of asian foods.  Yum.  
3.  The line stretched into the Auditorium at one point.
4.  CIC Dan Asis, planned and executed the festival.  Great job!
5-7.  A touch of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of Rob Aud.

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8.  Haka warriors stomp and scream.
9,10.  Martial Arts club busting boards in midair.
11.  Sal Corma maintains tight abs as a cinder block is busted on his stomach.
12.  The judo team throws down.
13.  The Kendo team demonstrates scoring maneuvers.
14.  Shane Carlos and Dan Asis demonstrate stick fighting in White/Gray.

Montreal Canada, 4-6 April 2008

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325 miles to Montreal, but it was worth the trip.  So many things to see, do, and buy.  The 15 cadets who went had a great time.

1.  At the Duty Free Shop.  On the way there the Canadian Border police held us for 45 minutes.
2.  At the Chinatown gates.  Great shopping!
3.  Looks like a rat, but Gian Agni is eating dragon candy.
4.  Some residents of Montreal were startled by menacing looking cadets. 
5.  Eric Williams tries a new way to drink tea. 
6.  Christopher Ancheta gets eaten by a dragon
7.  Sam Galima is being recruited by the Viet Cong.

US Coast Guard Academy, New London CT, 27-28 October 2007

We met our counterparts APAC club from the Coast Guard Academy and made many new friendships.  Special thanks to USCGA Cadet McCrae Harrison
for being such a wonderful host. 

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1.  Meeting our counterparts at the Koto Steakhouse.  What a nice dinner.  Banzai!
2.  Meeting the USCGA Bear.
3.  Our mess halls look very similar, except they have a cafeteria.
4.  Man overboard.
5.  Uzi and Gian have ring weekend dates.

Lea Salonga Concert, 26 October 2007

Tony Award Winner and Disney Animated Star Lea Salonga played a free concert at Ike Hall with the USMA Band.  We got reserved
seating and the club got to go backstage during intermission. During the show she did a shout out for our club members.

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1.  We are in row E, waiting for the show to begin.
2.  Backstage with Lea Salonga
3.  EE&CS Faculty and family backstage
4.  Cadets greet Lea.
5.  Philippine exchange cadets Mario Feliciano and Christy Anchanzar.
6.  Gloria meets Lea.
7.  Cadet Gian Agni missed the show due to a PL100 lecture, but make it back after the lecture.
8.  The crowd is gone, but Lea signs her name to the bigger than life poster to be hung in Ike Hall.

6th Annual Asian Pacific Festival 4 May 2007

The weather for the festival could not have been better.  I think we had more food than ever before, we had over 450 attendees.  Great
job by Cadets Anthony Bulucluc and Daniel Asis.  A special thanks to MAJ Chris Capozzi and the EO office for their outstanding support.

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1-3  Time to feed 450?!
4.  Haka warriors get ready for battle.
5.  A touch of Hawaii on the Hudson River.
6.  The USMA Judo team demonstrates throws.
7.  A kendo warrior greets some onlookers.  Who knows what's behind the mask.
8-9.  A Philippine stick fighting exhibition.  
  
Trip to NYC 25 March 2007

We went to NYC on a day trip.  We ate in a cool Philippine restaurant in Queens and visited Ground Zero.

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1.  At Ground Zero
2.  Eating at Krystal Cafe, Queens NYC.
3.  Some tourists at Ground Zero wanted a picture with Cadets.
4.  At the World Financial Center Plaza.

Trip To Washington DC 2-4 March 2007
 

8 Cadets traveled to DC and visited the Smithsonian Museums, Chinatown, and the War Memorials.  We
stayed at Bolling AFB.

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1.  The group in front of the Capitol.
2.  Danny Asis gets mobbed by a Sorority.
3.  It is hot by the flames!
4,5  These murals are in the WWII Aviation Smithsonian Exhibit. Strange, seems to glorify the Japanese Navy?
6.  Epic words of FDR at the WWII memorial.
7.  At the Gates of Chinatown.  We ate at Tony Cheng's Mongolian BBQ.  Bill Clinton and Mike Tyson ate there too!.
8.  Benard Acheta looks at the bios of soldiers who died on 3 March.
9.  Bryan Olay, Bernard Ancheta, and Justin Padua reflect on the meaning of the Vietnam Memorial.
10.  At the WWII Memorial.
11.  It's windy near the Washington Monument, 50 degrees and sunny!
12.  Korean War Memorial.
13.  John Gordon, Dominic Faxioli, and Eric Bernau stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door.
14.  Space, the Final Frontier.

 

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5th Annual Asian Pacific Festival, 5 May 2006

A large planning committee, help from EO, USCC, and many volunteer allowed the festival to achieve new heights.  Over 500 people visited the show and Matt Wang and Patrick Dullano did a fantastic job of organizing the event.

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1,2.  Alay Dancers from Danbury Conn.
3,4,5.  Martial Arts club demonstrates board breaking and bo stick fighting.
6.  Plenty of food this time.
7.  Danny Asis and Sonny Tosco perform the Haka War dance.

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8.  West Point kids perform the hula.
9.  Judo team demonstrates some throws.
10.  Kendo team demonstrates a strike to stomach.
11.  Kim Mal dancers from Korea.
12.  Cadets Matt Wang and Jason Lam converse with GEN (R) Eric Shinseki.

APAC Festival, 7 May 2004

     The 3rd Annual Asian Pacific Festival was the largest and most successful event so far.  Kudos to Cadets John Zabala and Ken Yambing for organizing the event.  No rain, plenty of food, entertainment, and a band!

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1,2  Cadets Marcus Morgen, Eric Balent, and Justin Ramsey demonstrate their Kendo Skills.   Goes well with the DVD release of the Last Samurai.
3.  Food aplenty!  How do you feed over 250 people?  Careful planning.
4.  The dragon is alive and well.  He eats oranges and cabbage.  Came all the way from Chinatown, NYC.
5,6.  Haka warriors from New Zealand do the traditional war dance.
7.  Interested on-lookers watch the show.

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8,9,10.  The Alay Dance group from Danbury Conn perform traditional Hawaiian and Philippine dances.
11,12.  Cadets Jordan Bellamy and Tanilla McDaniel  of the Judo Club demonstrate how to throw someone to the mat.
13,14.  The martial arts club performed an amazing demo of a flying board-breaking kick and a kicking drill.

APAC Trip to USNA, Washington DC, 16-18 April 2004

     We stayed at USNA and met with our Naval Academy counterparts.  We spent a day touring DC and the Smithsonian.

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1.  At a rest stop for a quick picnic.
2.  Don't Give Up the Ship.  Bancroft Hall at USNA, old Chapel area.
3.  Gloria gives a speech on why we should beat Navy.
4,5  Our Midde counterparts/hosts
6.  Ken Yambing:  "Someday I will live in the White House."

APAC Trip to Boston, MIT, 24-26 Oct 2003

     We stayed at the Hanscom Inn, on Hanscom AFB.  A great, inexpensive place to stay in the Boston area.  We met up with some Asian student clubs up at MIT and went to an all-girls school (Wesleyann) for  a Halloween Party.  We ate lunch at the Golden Pearl Restaurant and had a great time walking around downtown Boston.

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1,3  Ready to eat some Dim Sum at the Golden Pearl in Boston's Chinatown
2.  Rita Garcia, John Zabala, and Caleb Williams  wonder what the waiter will bring out next
4.  Ronson Honeychurch and John Zabala go shopping in Boston's Downtown Crossing 
5.  Table for 15 at Outback
6.  Getting ready for the Halloween Costume party

APAC Trip to Chinatown, Central Park and Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 21 Sept 2003

     The line to get in was 2 miles long, so we watched at a distance.  We drove by ground zero, got a great tour of Chinatown, walked the Gangs of NY area, and met a very friendly cafe owner.  We had a nice lunch at the Hop Key Restaurant. 

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1.  East Meadow Central Park.  Tibetan Monks Chant, while a crowd of 50,000 line up to hear the Dali Lama.
2.  Chinese Serviceman Memorial, East end of Chinatown NYC
3.  Museum of Chinese in America, 70 Mulberry St.
4,5.  Silk Road Mocha Cafe, Ground Zero Art Display.  Thanks to Mr.Choy for the donuts!

APAC Trip to Montreal 30 Aug - 2 Sept 2002

     A long trip, but worth it.  We had a nice 50 pax bus, and we visited the Botanical Gardens, Olympic Park, Chinatown, and shopped at the Eaton Center.  Some cadets had problems at the border, but that is another story.

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1.  Group Photo, 28 Cadets arrive in at the Botanical Gardens after a 300 mile journey.
2.  Tony, Ran, Nina, Debbie, Frank and Tony at the Chinese Gardens.
3.  Nina and Tony look at the enormous PU-PU platter.
4.  Biodome Montreal - home to birds, piranha, and penguins.
5.  Chinese Gardens
6.  Waiting for the Bus
7.   Debbie and Nina ham it up.

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8.   Flags of the world, with our bus driver watching motorcycle training.
9.   Debbie and Tony in the Botanical Gardens
10.  Kim likes the greenhouse
11.  Rose Gardens
12.  How did Tony and Frank get into this wedding picture?
13.  Frank, Nina, Debbie at the Chinese Gardens
14.  Inclined Tower, above Olympic Stadium

International Week:  April 25-26 2002

     Great work by Cadet Kurt Reyes and all of the APAC officers.  A special thanks to the Danbury Philippine Association for putting on such a great show at Trophy Point.  We had lunch with Gen Fidel Ramos, former President of the Philippines and USMA graduate, class of 1950.

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1.  President Ramos, LTG Lennox, Cadets Kenneth Yambing, Mark Posadas, Alex Estomo
2.  Gloria presents President Ramos with a Silver Bicentennial Coin
3.  Club President Kurt Reyes and Nina Sann relax after all the planning comes together
4.  Club officers Anthony Martinez, Nina Sann and Kenneth Yambing setup is complete!
5.  Tae Kwan Do exhibition
6.  Food and lots of it!

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7.  Coconut Dancers  liven the atmosphere.
8,9,10  Traditional Philippine Dancing
11,12,13 Somoan Dancers?? They don't look Somoan.  And why are they oiled up?  Its 50 degrees out here!  These guys should be on the Bayonet Assault Course.   HOOAH!            
14,15,16 Hula Dancers in NY.  Odd the Hudson river in the background.  Where is the beach?
17.  These girls begged me to take their picture.

APAC Trip to Chinatown and Ground Zero, 13 April 2002
    
     The NYPD gave our group a special tour of Ground Zero.  Special Thanks to Detective Harry Cheng!  It was amazing the activity level of the cleanup.  Most of the surrounding buildings still bear the scars of Sept 11th.  Every few minutes planes eerily still fly directly overhead.   We turned down the offer of a morgue tour.  We also ate lunch at the Most Excellent Dumpling house in Chinatown.  

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1.  APAC Group with Detective Harry Cheng, NYPD
2.  Cadet Mark Rapanut tries to exchange side hat buttons with Det.Cheng
3.  Cadets and NYFD observe Ground Zero from the roof of Firehouse #1
4.  Cadets Dan Marques,Andrew Blackburn with Ground Zero and scarred buildings in background
5.  The Pit.  All activity stops when a remain is recovered as workers pay their respects to a victim.
6.  Patches from Police and Fire Departments from across the country.  There are over 120 in this picture.
7.  Cadets Alex Raggio and Jong Kim at the Most Excellent Dumpling House, Chinatown
8,9.  Cadets Alex Raggio and Matt Powers try sugar cane.
10.  Cross made from WTC pieces, with victims names on cross. 
11.  Walking to Ground Zero, note barricade, this is normally as close as you can get.  Note the black shroud over the building.
12.  American Express Building in background.  We walked around the construction site.  Note the corner of the middle building being rebuilt and the boards over missing windows.
13.  Rooftop of Firestation #1, best view of Ground Zero.

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1.  Group Picture at Hotel
2.  Pentagon after Sept 11 Attack
3.  Gloria poses with other 1st ladies
4,5  Banners and Streamers of 442nd Infantry Bn
6.  Medal of Honor, Silver Star Awardees, (You can read the names)
7,8,9.  Capital and Washington Monument