Email   Print   Share By Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

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Performing various Filipino dances were youngsters from Killeen’s Cultura Filipiniana Arts Dance Troupe. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

Sgt. 1st Class Mary Ramilo demonstrates “pearly shells”, a Hawaiian dance that mimics picking up shells on the beach. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

With Don Ho’s “Tiny Bubbles” serenading guests and “Mr. Armadillo” donning colorful leis, Soldiers of Company F, Warrior Transition Brigade celebrated May’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Thursday by transforming the Fort Hood skating rink into a Hawaiian Tiki hut and indoor luau.

Guest speakers for the festive event were Dr. Robert Liu, Co. F’s primary case manager, and Maj. Edgardo Limbo, a Soldier in Transition.

Limbo, a Filipino who came to America in 1977, said he is “grateful to God for bringing me to this great country.”

“Never did I imagine that someone like me who was dirt poor in a Third World country, that I would grow up in this nation of opportunity,” he said. “It’s an honor and privilege to be here to serve my country.”

Liu reminded the audience that America wasn’t always the melting pot it is today, comparing the early days of integration to oil and vinegar, they didn’t mix well.

“Today, though, we’re inclusive, like mayonnaise and mustard, which mixes pretty well,” Liu said.

The annual event, according to WTB equal opportunity advisor, Sgt. 1st Class Greta Gautreaux, celebrates the contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to make America what it is today. The event also reaffirms America’s “ethnic diversity.

“It’s important to continuously celebrate and recognize these observances to show how much these cultures have brought diversity to our nation, and how they’ve

helped our nation succeed,” Gautreaux said.

Entertaining the approximate 50 guests, who were presented with leis by Soldiers clad in grass skirts, were performance dances by Cultura Filipiniana Arts Dance Troupe and Soldiers and staff from Co. F.

Sgt. 1st Class Mary Ramilo danced at and organized the celebration. She said she was honored to share her culture with others. Ramilo grew up in the Philippines and came to the United States in 1985 at the age of 17.

“This is very exciting because it enables us to show others our culture and background,” she said. “It helps them understand who we are.”

Ramilo also said she was pumped about demonstrating “pearly shells,” a dance similar to the hula, because folk dancing was part of the Filipino education system.

“We danced from kindergarten to high school,” she said, adding that continuing to share bits and pieces of different cultures is key to keeping them alive. “It’s important to keep up with it because it is our culture.”

One of the volunteers who joined Ramilo in “pearly shells” was Armelle Johnson, a nurse case manager with Co. F.

“I always thought dances like these were just moving with the music and shaking your hips,” she said. “But it’s a whole message from the song to what you’re doing with your hands. It was very informative and has made me more appreciative of Asian culture.”

For Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Cherry, one of Co. F’s platoon sergeants, the dances, remarks and the array of Asian food also left him with a greater appreciation of the Asian-Pacific culture.

“It represents the diversity of our great country,” Cherry said. “We’re all together as one, regardless of ethnic background.”