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INTRODUCTION TO NEW AMERICAN HERO AWARD
American Korean Friendship Society • May 03, 2019
Purpose: The American Korean Friendship Society Inc. (AKFS) is a nonprofit (81-1408283 IRS Code 501(c) (3) and nonpolitical civic organization founded in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Society’s purpose is to celebrate and strengthen the unique relationship between the peoples of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America.
New American Hero Award (NAHA ): The Society presents its New American Hero Award at its annual banquet. The award is made to Americans of Korean ancestry who have contributed in a significant and noteworthy way to the United States and who have made the immigrant community proud. Past recipients have included the following:
- Tom Kim of Knoxville, TN, who founded the Free Medical Clinic of America and has been operating the clinic for more than twelve years
- Lieutenant Colonel John Oh, medical doctor and U.S. Army general surgeon, for his heroic service for his country in Afghanistan, including risking his own life by performing emergency surgery to remove an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) protruding from a wounded soldier
- Samuel “Sammy” Lee, the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the United States, and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals (1948 and 1952) in Olympic platform diving
- Jason Pak, West Point graduate, U.S. Army captain (Ret.), and an elite Ranger, who was lost both legs by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan and serves as an inspiration for veterans and civilians alike by sharing his story
- The late James Suh, U.S. Navy SEAL, who was part of a dedicated Naval Special Warfare team fighting the Taliban and volunteered to go on a mission to rescue fellow SEAL members who were trapped by insurgent fire and killed in Afghanistan.
- U. S. Army colonel Young-Oak Kim (1919-2005) is highly decorated US Army officer and combat veteran. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a combat leader in Italy and France during World War II.
- Peter Meong Rhee, Chief of Acute Care Surgery and Medical Director of Marcus Trauma Center at Grady. He served in battlefields and back home as surgeon. Dr. Rhee was lead surgeon to treat 10 gunshot victims after a man opened fire on a crowd of people at a local supermarket in Arizona in 2001. One of the victims was Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Board of Directors and Staff: Mr. Frank Blake, Chairman of AKFS, chairman, Delta Air Lines; General Burwell (B. B.) Bell, retired commanding general, US Forces in Korea; Mr. Don Chapman, chairman, ChapCo Investments; Judge Miles Davis, US Magistrate Court, Florida; General Larry Ellis, retired Commanding General, US Army Forces Command; Mr. Jay Eun, Chairman, Golden Stella Inc.; Mr. Paul T. Kim, Vice President, AKFS, Senior Attorney, SEC; Consul General Young-jun Kim, Consul General, Korea ( ex officio ); Mr. Bartow Morgan, Chairman/CEO, Brand Banking Company; Mr. Sam Olens, former Attorney General, Georgia; Mr. Sunny K. Park, president of AKFS, CEJ, GBM; Dr. Roger Tuttero, economist, KSU; Mr. David Kang, Treasurer; Ms. Jessica Ahn Kang, Event Director
Founders: The following founders of the American Korean Friendship Society are concerned citizens of both nations who value the unique and precious relationship between the two countries. Founding committee chair: Marine Corps General and Medal of Honor recipient Raymond G. Davis (ret.); Dr. James Laney, US ambassador to the Republic of Korea; Dr. Sang-chul Kim, former mayor of Seoul; Dr. William Chace, president, Emory University; U.S. Army General William Livsey (ret.); John Hemby, executive vice president, Southern Company; Dr. Wan-kyu Cho, former president, Seoul National University; and Sunny K. Park, CEO, GBM.
Chairpersons Emeritus:
Dr. James Laney, former US ambassador to Korea
Founding Chairman 1996–2000: Dr. William Chace, president, Emory University
Chairman, 2000–2004: Dr. Wayne Claugh, president, Georgia Tech
Chairwoman, 2004–2008: Dr. Betty Siegel, President, Kennesaw State University
Chairman, 2008–2016: General Larry Ellis, U.S. Army, retired.
American Korean Friendship Society recognize Americans of Korean heritage for their volunteer works and efforts for Korean American community's advancement with Lifetime Achievement Award each year. The recognition is to appreciate their selfless contributions and encourage other members of the community to also volunteer for the community. AKFS Board unanimously honors Dr. Edward Chang (장태환), professor, the University of California at Riverside for 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. AKFS recognize Dr. Chang's remarkable contributions and voicing tirelessly for the Korean American community in the past nearly three decades. The Award comes with $5,000 prize from Good Neighboring Foundation which to contribute to a nonprofit organization of the Awardee's choice. Dr. Chang is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California at Riverside. He earned his B.A. (1982) in Sociology and Ph.D. (1990) in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and M.A. (1984) in Asian American Studies at UCLA. Dr. Chang is author of eight books, seven edited volumes, and numerous articles. Professor Chang has studied and been a voice of the Korean community for more than 25 years. He is a leading expert on the Los Angeles Riots, race relations between Korean and African American communities, and Korean Americans. Professor Chang lectured on the topics of Korean-African American Relations and the Los Angeles civil unrest and its impact on the Korean American community at many universities around the country.
AKFS presents the New American Hero Award (NAHA) each year to Americans of Korean ancestry who have made a significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. Immigrants from Korea and Asian countries are well contributed ethnic group in America but seldom recognized as patriot as actual. Since 2005, has recognized thirteen (13) American patriots of Korean heritage with the NAHA. The Board of Directors of the American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS USKorea.org) honors former United States Ambassador Sung Yong Kim for 2024 New American Hero Award. The Award comes with $25,000 prize that will be presented to an American non-profit organization of the honoree's choice on March 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. AKFS recognize Ambassador Kim's remarkable contributions made to the United States as a senior diplomat. Ambassador Kim's patriotism and passionate services for the United States enhanced the status of all Americans immigrated from Korea and Asian countries particularly. Sung Yong Kim (김성용) is an American diplomat of Korean ancestry serve the United States as the US Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In 2008, Kim was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-party talks. He later served in the Obama and Trump administrations as the Ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014 and as the Ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, Kim was appointed by President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Indonesia. Ambassador Kim retired November 2023 and joined Hyundai Automobile Group as senior advisor.
AKFS honors Ambassador Sung Yong Kim with the 2024 New American Hero Award. AKFS also honors Dr. Edward T. Chang, Professor, University of California, Riverside, with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
성 김 전 주한미국대사, '이민자 영웅상' 수상 이민자 영웅상, 성 김 대사, 한미우호협회, 장태한 교수
The Board of Directors of the American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS) honors former United States Ambassador Sung Yong Kim for 2024 New American Hero Award. The Award comes with a $25,000 prize that will be presented to an American non-profit organization of the honoree's choice on March 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. AKFS presents the New American Hero Award (NAHA) each year to Americans of Korean ancestry who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. Immigrants from Korea and Asian countries are well contributed ethnic group in America but seldom recognized as patriots. Since 2005, has recognized thirteen (13) American patriots of Korean heritage with the NAHA. AKFS recognizes Ambassador Kim's remarkable contributions to the United States as a senior diplomat. Ambassador Kim's patriotism and passionate services for the United States enhanced the status of all Americans immigrated from Korea and Asian countries particularly. Sung Yong Kim (Korean: 김성용) is an American diplomat of Korean ancestry serving as the United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from January to June 2021. In 2008, Kim was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-party talks. He later served in the Obama and Trump administrations as the Ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014 and as the Ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, Kim was appointed by President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Indonesia. Dr. Edward Chang honored for 2024 AKFS Lifetime Achievement AKFS Board unanimously honors Dr. Edward Chang, professor at the University of California, Riverside for 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. AKFS recognizes Dr. Chang's contributions and voicing tirelessly for the Korean American community in the past nearly three decades. Dr. Chang is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California at Riverside. He earned his B.A. (1982) in Sociology and Ph.D. (1990) in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and M.A. (1984) in Asian American Studies at UCLA. Chang is the author of eight books, seven edited volumes, and numerous articles. Professor Chang has studied and been a voice of the Korean community for more than 25 years. He is a leading expert on the Los Angeles Riots, race relations between Korean and African American communities, and Korean Americans. Professor Chang lectured on the topics of Korean-African American Relations and the Los Angeles civil unrest and its impact on the Korean American community at many universities around the country. The award gala will be held on Friday 6:00 PM March 15, 2024 at Westin Atlanta North Hotel. 7 Concourse, Sandy Springs, Georgia. Tickets are $500.00 per person and encouraged to purchase as a table sponsorship. Table sponsorships for AKFS Award Gala are available at $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000 levels. All proceeds of table sponsorship and ticket sales will be used to pay for the event, prize for the awardees, strengthen the US-Korea Alliance and advocate American patriotism in the Asian American community. The American Korean Friendship Society, Inc. (AKFS) is a non-profit (81-1408283 IRS Code 501-C-3) and non-political civic organization founded in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Society celebrates and strengthens the unique relationship between the peoples of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America. The Society created the New American Hero Award to recognize Korean American patriots. The Society presents the New American Hero Award each year at the annual banquet. The award is to recognize Americans of Korean ancestry who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. original content: https://gasiantimes.com/2024/01/22/american-korean-friendship-society-honors-sung-yong-kim-for-2024-new-american-heroes-award-and-dr-edward-chang-for-2024-lifetime-achievement-award/?fbclid=IwAR3VeFB5kx5FqdNRHj6Z0YV29GTfjJ4fZ4vn0Oh42ubYnOpJsz53BwcUZtA
view original: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20232024/218431
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