The observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is an occasion to remember the patriotism of AAPIs who have served, or are currently serving, in the Department of Defense and our nation.
May was chosen as the observance month to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 10, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad completion on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks of that nation-unifying railway were Chinese immigrants.
The Federal Asian Pacific American Council has chosen this year's theme to be "Unite Our Vision by Engaging Each Other," encouraging AAPI civic engagement and leadership.
Asian and Pacific Islanders encompass an extremely diverse group of cultures, ethnicities, races, and languages. They include all Americans who trace their ancestry back to the Asian continent and the many Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
This month, we recognize the Asian American and Pacific Islanders role in shaping our country as well as, the contributions they have made and continue to give to our country.
Today they continue to make an immeasurable impact in defending our nation and humanitarian efforts around the world.
The Office of Personnel Management defines engagement as, "an employee's sense of purpose that is evident in their display of dedication, persistence and effort in their work or overall attachment to their organization and its mission."
This month, NSWCDD highlights an employee, who has positively impacted Dahlgren's mission: James Yee.
James H. Yee is the Systems Safety Engineering Division Head for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Readiness and Training Systems Department. He is a native of Long Island, New York, and served as a surface warfare officer in the Navy. During his time in the Fleet, he served as an anti-submarine warfare officer (ASWO) aboard USS Peterson (DD 969) and was selected to be part of the commissioning crew of USS Barry (DDG 52), also as ASWO. His last military tour of duty was at NSWCDD where he worked on a number of cutting edge projects including Theater Ballistic Missile Defense, SMARTSHIP, Aegis, and Human Systems Integration (HSI).
Yee has served in positions of increasing leadership and management responsibility at NSWCDD, including deputy department head for the Gun and Electric Weapon Systems Department; deputy HSI lead for the Navy's DD(X) program; a member on the Navy's Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board; head of the Combat Systems Safety Branch; deputy director of the Directed Energy Warfare Office; head of the Directed Energy Division; deputy head of the Engagement Systems Department; and his current position. As Systems Safety Engineering Division head, Yee is responsible for leading the Navy's largest systems safety engineering organization comprised of over 150 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support personnel.
"Always strive to be a servant leader, and never forget that the mission comes first," said Yee who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in naval architecture from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Masters of Public Affairs from Indiana University. He is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute.