WEST CHESTER, Ohio — During a recent meeting, an elected trustee in West Chester, in Butler County in southwest Ohio, showed the scars he sustained while serving in the United States Army and said he will not tolerate any more anti-Asian discrimination.
Following shootings in the Atlanta-area where six of the eight people killed were Asian and rallies across the country have been organized against Asian hate, Lee Wong, the board's chair, talked about the discrimination he has faced in his life.
Wong, 69, said he came to the U.S. when he was 18 and has been a U.S. citizen for a while.
He said he was beaten up while in Chicago after a couple of years in the country, but no one was ever punished.
He said that changed the course of his career.
Wong then went on to serve in the U.S. Army and retired after 20 years of active duty service.
“For too long, I have put up with a lot of (expletive) in silence, excuse me the language, too afraid to speak out, fearing more abuse and discrimination,” Wong said in Tuesday's meeting.
After he served in the Army, he said he wanted to make his community better.
"Don't get me wrong, people love me in this community. I love them too. But there are some annoying people that will come up to me and say that I don't look 'American' or 'patriotic' enough," said Wong.
"People question my patriotism. That I don't look American enough. They cannot get over this face? I want to show you something. I want to tell you because I'm not afraid. I don't have to live in fear," Wong said as he started to remove his jacket and tie.
Wong unbuttoned and lifted his shirt.
"Here is my proof," Wong said as he showed scars on his chest, "This is sustained from my service in the U.S. military. Is this patriot enough?”
Wong said he is not ashamed to walk around anymore.
"Prejudice is hate and that hate can be changed. We are human. We need to be kinder and gentler to one another because we are all the same," Wong said.
