Asian Military Women - Iris U. was accepted to the US Military Academy at West Point, New York and received the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship. Courtesy of Iris Yu
Iris Yu was seven years old when she told her parents she wanted to join the army. While the family was visiting the prestigious US military academy West Point in New York, Yu saw a military uniform and thought it was cool.
Asian Military Women
Iris U at Fort Hamilton with Capt. Lucas Derda, Northeastern Area Commander for West Point Entry. Courtesy of Iris Yu
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Ten years later, Yu did just that. The 17-year-old, born and raised in Queens, New York, applied to West Point and was accepted in March. U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) is one of the members of Congress who made the necessary nomination for admission to the United States.
"Giving back to your country is something not everyone can do," Yu said. "I think it's very important that people understand that people across the country are willing to give up their lives to enjoy the freedom that we have every day."
Yu, who recently graduated from Francis Lewis High School, said he initially considered attending college on an Army ROTC scholarship, which requires graduates to serve four years as an officer. But her junior ROTC instructor convinced her to consider West Point, founded in 1802.
After one visit, Yu said she was energized by what she saw — hands-on learning, small class sizes and rigorous academics. When she broke the news of her enlistment to her parents, immigrants from Taiwan, her father was supportive because he had always been interested in the military academy, Yu said.
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"The culture of becoming a doctor or a lawyer is the main goal of many Asian families, but you can do whatever you want."
However, the mother's attitude changed when they attended a few events together at West Point, Yu said. Yu said it helped her mother better understand her passion for serving in the armed forces.
Yu said Asian Americans, especially women, face challenges proving themselves at West Point and the U.S. military. According to data released by the academy, eight percent of the academy's 2018 students are Asian American and 22 percent are women.
In the U.S. military, Asians make up just 3.8 percent of enlisted men and women and 4.4 percent of officers, according to a 2013 demographic report prepared for the Department of Defense.
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"The culture of becoming a doctor or a lawyer is the main goal of many Asian families," Yu said. "But you can do whatever you want."
It is an honor to congratulate my nominees who are attending the US Service Academies. https://t.co/2Jmlrs5ouR #Queens pic.twitter.com/m1Rr5URgqr — Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) June 21, 2016
Because the four-year undergraduate program at West Point is fully funded, cadets must serve at least five years on active duty and three years in the reserve upon graduation. All graduated as officers.
Yu said he plans to spend five years in the engineering unit and then in the civil and military affairs department if he continues in the service. In public health, or epidemiology, she said she is particularly interested in studying how disease spreads and can be controlled.
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For now, however, Yu's thoughts are focused on the six and a half weeks of basic training that begins on Monday, June 27.
"I'm really, really nervous about it," Yu said. "But I know that everything is possible if I go with a positive attitude."
She said her high school JROTC training — a regimen that includes running and weightlifting — will come in handy. As part of the JROTC National Riders competition, Yu competed in events that required her to run with 35-pound backpacks and carry a 90-pound stretcher, an event she said is called a cross-country rescue.
Yu said she hopes more Asian Americans will challenge stereotypes about the academic and career paths they choose and follow their true passions.
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Chris Fuse is a freelance journalist based in New York. His articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Taipei Times in Chinese, and the popular Taiwanese news website ETToday.net.
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