11 January 2017

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL GALA FOR INCOMING PRESIDENT TRUMP


Trump-Pence Asian Pacific American committees to host ‘APA Presidential Inaugural Gala’


BY AANEWS

Newswire.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump-Pence Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee (APAAC) and the National Committee of Asian American Republicans (Asian.GOP) on Wednesday announced that they will be hosting an Asian Pacific American Presidential Inaugural Gala in honor of President-Elect Donald J. Trump as well as for the Asian Pacific Americans who have been nominated to serve in the new Trump Administration.

The inaugural celebration will take place a few blocks from the White House at the historic and beautiful Mayflower Hotel, located at 1127 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC. The hotel is home to many presidential inaugurations since 1925. The Gala will be held on Thursday, January 19, 2017, from 6 to 11 PM in the Grand Ballroom and Chinese Room of this elegant hotel.

The program will include:

• Celebration with prominent dignitaries and Presidential appointees (Donald J. Trump, Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Reince Priebus, Elaine Lan Chao, Nikki Haley, and many others are invited

• Networking opportunities with key Asian American and Pacific Islander community leaders

• Networking interactions with business elites in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community

• Performances from Asian Pacific American communities proudly sharing their rich cultures

“This will be an excellent event that features our national Asian Pacific American leaders who have worked so hard to elect and represent Mr. Trump,” said Eddie Baza Calvo, Governor of Guam and APAAC co-chair. “Our Inaugural Gala will provide a wonderful opportunity to engage with public and private sector leaders to work closer together with our growing Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities.”

“We are excited that Donald J. Trump has won the Presidency,” said Ralph DLG Torres, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and APAAC co-chair. “The Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are celebrating his victory with this Inaugural Gala. We look forward to a prosperous future working with the Trump Administration in Making America Great Again.”

“Asian Pacific Americans share many of the same values as the Republican Party. We are confident that Asian Pacific American Republicans will play a significant vital role in the new Trump Administration. Together, we look forward to making an America filled with jobs, hope, opportunity, security, and freedom,” said Mr. Cliff Zhonggang Li, Executive Director of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans.

To purchase tickets to the APA Presidential Inaugural Gala, inquire about corporate sponsorship opportunities, volunteer, or to make a charitable donation, please visit http://apainaugural.asian.gop. Tickets and corporate sponsorship tables are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee (APAAC) is co-chaired by the Eddie Baza Calvo, Governor of Guam and the Honorable Ralph DLG Torres, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It is a group that will continue to promote policies and programs dedicated to the specific needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country. It is the official Trump campaign advisory council representing Asian Pacific Americans. The National Committee of Asian American Republicans (Asian.GOP) is a nationwide organization of Asian American Republicans headquartered in Washington, DC dedicated to raising the awareness in Asian American communities about the importance of participating in the political process, which has a great impact on everyone’s life, for future generations, and for the destiny of this great nation.

Air Force veteran, 72, alleges Agent Orange use on Andersen Air Force Base (on Guam)



Kyla P Mora 

kmora@guampdn.com



(Photo: PDN file foto)

Air Force veteran Gerard Laitres, 72, was stationed at Andersen Air Force Base from September 1963 to March 1965. During that time, he worked as a liquid fuels system maintenance specialist, cleaning and monitoring above-ground pipelines for chipped paint and damage.


He was always surprised, he said, that there was never any brush around the pipeline that needed chopping or clearing.

“We worked around the Tumon Tank Farm, and around the immediate storage areas along the flight line. There were 10 pump houses,” Laitres said. “We had no problem getting into anything we had to get to. I always wondered what happened, how they cleared that out. Now I know it.”

Laitres believes the Air Force used Agent Orange as a defoliant on Guam, particularly along the path of the pipeline he worked to maintain.

“They did that, on the pipeline, and that’s a lot of mileage of defoliation,” Laitres said. “And so, are they going to admit it?”

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.