25th 26th March 2004: Fill & Download for Free

When I enlisted in 1988, if you were Asian American, not only were you a rare bird in the U.S. Army, you were one of a kind in the infantry, and you were on your own, for all intents and purposes.^Me standing in front of our battalion HQ or “starship.” at Ft. Benning, Sand Hill during “Family Day.”^Yours truly after a five-mile run in the Georgia heat & humidity standing in front of my bunk during 11B OSUT at Ft. Benning, July 1988, D co., 2/19 Inf. Treadwell Barracks.For example, in my 11B OSUT basic training company at Ft. Benning, out of 200 soldiers, and approximately 20 cadre, I was the only Korean American. Our company did have one Laotian and one Cambodian, and one biracial person who was vaguely “half Chinese,” but acted and identified as white and resented any implication or suggestion that he might be Asian as well. So, out of 220 people, just three — including myself — identified as Asian in your prototypical OSUT infantry company in 1988, which means we’re talking a meta-minority here representing just two percent of the company, so yes, we were definitely under-represented. (In 1988, Asian Americans were about 4.2 percent of the U.S. population.)^During Family Day, July of 1988. My late dad took this pic of me at the Ft. Benning maingate. Didn’t even know this gate existed as we arrived in the pitch dark.Needless to say, looking back then some 30 years ago, if it was same-race solidarity and pan-Asian espirit de corps you were looking for, the U.S. military — and specifically the U.S. Army, and especially the infantry — was the worst place to find it and perhaps one of the worst possible places you could be as a young Asian American. But that’s not why I joined.^Me in the middle with my ARNG squad at Ft. Chaffee, AR ca. 1989.Nevertheless, it goes without saying that being the phenotypical outsider in a highly conformist and typically anti-Asian environment back then meant you were going to be subjected to a lot of anti-Asian discrimination, overt and covert racism, casual bigotry, bad racial jokes, and the non-stop barrage of stereotypical racial epithets and comments that would challenge even the most thick-skinned individual. But that was just the beginning.^Me standing in one of the most favorite places at Benning during OSUT, the dreaded and cherished ‘dfac’ at Treadwell Barracks.^Me in the middle with my unit when we deployed to Germany in 1990 for the Gulf War. This is Rhein-Main AB in Frankfurt a.M. Germany.The main problem with being the only person of your race in a very large and predominately white or black-dominated institution that isn’t known exactly for open-minded or progressive thinking is that you can easily become a scapegoat for anything and be falsely accused of everything, unless someone has your back, or knows that your reputation, conduct, performance and track record is flawless beyond reproach and unimpeachable to the point it would’ve been difficult to impugn your integrity. Of course, that’s easier said than done, b/c in this type of environment, people — not just your superiors, but also your peers and colleagues — are watching you like a hawk, just waiting for you to screw up so they can turn you in. Why? To get promotion points or simply out of jealousy, spite, racism, you name it!^Me in the back of a deuce-and-a-half with my M-60 GPMG during JRTC at Ft.Chaffee, AR, ca. 1989.^Standing outside our company area at Ft.Benning during family day.Typically, and this happens a lot in the Army, all someone has to say if something comes up missing/stolen/broken/SNAFU’d/etc., or more commonly if they themselves committed an infraction and are on the brink of being held accountable is, “that G**k did it!”, or, “I think it was probably that Asian kid who f*cked it up,” or, “That Korean private probably stole it.” And now, because you’re the only Asian and only Korean kid in the entire company/battalion/regiment/brigade, you’re now in a “world of sh*t.”^Squadmates during OSUT/basic training at Ft. Benning. That’s me on the right.On the other hand, it doesn’t work the same way if you are white or black, b/c if someone says, “That white guy did it…” you better not only have the accused’s rank, full name, unit, and serial number, as well as be able to identify him positively in a line-up, but solid proof and direct evidence that that person did it, b/c it’s not going to fly any other way.^Ft. Lewis, 1991. (I’m 2nd from left.)But back in the 1980s, when there was an entire officer and NCO corps raised on stories of Vietcong/North Korean/Japanese/Chinese as the main enemy of the U.S, it was lazy thinking to think it was probably that Asian soldier in your command who stole/broke or committed whatever illegal act. After all, as I’ve heard so many times before, “My grandaddy fought the Japs at Iwo Jima, my Uncle fought the g**ks at the Chosin Reservoir, and my daddy fought them again in Viet Nam!” So of course, it is just little ole’ me who’s gonna stab you in the back cos that’s why I joined the Army, right? LOL.^I took this picture as I was about to board a CH-47 with my platoon for an FTX at Ft. Lewis ca. 1991.Anyway, this was 30 years ago, and I’d like to believe things have changed a little, but I’m not going to hold my breath as the racially motivated hazing and subsequent Suicide of U.S. Marine Lcpl Harry Lew and the Suicide of U.S. Army Private Danny Chen both in 2011 in Afghanistan indicate that not much has changed from when I remember things, especially in the infantry in the 1980s and early ’90s when I was in.^Back from Ft. Benning in August 1988 after 13 weeks of 11B OSUT with my mom and sister.Regardless, time moves forward, and despite such discouraging incidents, recruitment of the current crop of Asian Americans are up overall, as many service-minded Asian Americans are now getting the hint that the best way to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces is to serve as an officer. To wit:In 2009, the Army had Asian Americans serving as 4.4 percent of its commissioned officers, and 3.5 percent of its enlisted personnel.In 2010, Asian Americans made up 3.7 percent of active duty service members, mostly in the Army and Navy, and 3.9 percent of the officers.In 2012, there were about 65,000 immigrants serving in the U.S. armed forces; of those, about 23 percent were from the Philippines.Due to the numerous Filipinos serving in the Navy, when seen together, they've been described as the "Filipino Mafia"Compare these low numbers with the fact that Asian Americans are currently 5.6% of the U.S. population. While Asian Americans are under represented in the enlisted ranks, they are closer to the civilian population in the officer ranks at around 4.4% of U.S. Army officers being Asian Americans. Also, 8 percent of USMA’s class of 2018 are Asian American, according to data released by the academy. (Generally, 8~10 % of the cadets are Asian American at West Point, with 80~90% being Korean Americans, oddly enough.)The latest stats for all the services in the U.S. military show that Asians accounted for just 3.8 percent of enlisted men and women and 4.4 percent of officers, according to a 2013 demographics report prepared for the Department of Defense.That said, lest we forget, Asian Americans in whatever capacity, not only continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, but have also paid the ultimate sacrifice too. Lest we forget, there have been over 47 Asian-American U.S. military personnel who gave their lives in combat during OIF/OEF over the past 15 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. While I cannot remember everyone of their names, in addition to Marine Lcpl Harry Lew and Army Private Danny Chen, there were 9 other Chinese Americans (for a total of 11 Chinese-American KIAs), 2 Hmong-American KIAs, one Japanese-American KIA, 11 Vietnamese-American KIAs, and 22 Korean-American KIAs during OIF/OEF from 2002–2011 for a total of 47 Asian-American KIAs since 9/11 that I can name offhand. (There may be others. If so, please feel free to drop me a line with their name and details.) Those 47 Asian-American heroes are listed here as a memorial and reminder of their sacrifice to our nation:22 Korean Americans KIA during OIF/OEF after 9/11/2001:22) USAF Major Walter D. Gray, 38, an adopted Korean American, assigned as an U.S. Air Force Air Liaison Officer with 13th Air Support Ops Squadron, attached to the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. KIA: 08 AUG 2012, Sarkowi, Afghanistan due to a suicide VBIED attack on their base, killing Major Gray along with 4th ID’s CSM and another U.S. Army major in single attack.^USAF Major Walter D. Gray, an adopted Korean American, KIA 08 AUG 2012, Afghanistan, OEF.21) Army SGT Kyle B. McClain, 25, an adopted Korean American, assigned to 1433rd Engr. Co., 507th Engr. Bde, 177th MP Bde. KIA 01 AUG 2012, Salim-Aka Afghanistan.^Army SGT Kyle B. McClain, an adopted Korean American, KIA 01 AUG 2012, Afghanistan, OEF.20) Army Specialist Jinsu Lee, 34, Chatsworth, CA, assigned to 2–27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 25th ID, Schofield Barracks, HI. KIA: 05 August 2011 due to hostile fire at FOB Bostick, Afghanistan.^Army SPC Jinsu Lee, CA, KIA 05 AUG 2011 at the age of 34, Afghanistan, OEF.19) Army SGT Jeffrey Chul-Soon Sherer, 29, assigned to 1–24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th ID. KIA: 02 JUNE 2011, Shah-Joy, Kandahar, Afghanistan as a result of an IED attack to his Stryker vehicle.^Army SGT Jeffrey C.S. Sherer, an adopted Korean American, KIA 02 June, 2011 at the age of 29, Afghanistan, OEF.18) Army SFC Daehan Park, 36, of Watertown, Conn.;Died March 12, 2011 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.Unit: assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (3-1 SFG), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. MOS: 11B20 (infantry squad leader) & 18E (Special Operations Communications Sergeant).SFC Park, a.k.a. “Michael Schneider,” was killed in action on 12 March 2011 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan due to injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an IED.^Army SFC Daehan Park, 3–1st SFG(A), KIA 12 March 2011 OEF.17) Army Sgt. Daniel Lim, 23, of Cypress, CA. Died July 24, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.Unit: assigned to 5-3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.MOS: 13M, MLRS CrewmanSergeant Daniel Lim was killed in action on July 24, 2010 in Qalat, Afghanistan due to an IED attack on his vehicle. Also killed with Lim were Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Mora, SPC Joseph A. Bauer and PFC. Andrew L. Hand.^Army SGT Daniel Lim, 5–3rd FA, 17 FB, KIA 24 July 2011 OEF.16) Army PFC Benjamin J. Park, 25 of Fairfax Station, VADied June 18, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.Unit: assigned to the 1-502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd BCT, 101stAirborne Division (…Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY;MOS: 11B, Infantryman;KIA June 18, 2010: Zhari district, Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an IED.^Army PFC Benjamin J. Park, 1–502nd Infantry Regt., 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Div., KIA 18 June 2010, OEF.15) Army SPC Shinwoo Kim, 23, of Fullerton , CA .Unit: assigned to 2-12 Infantry, 2nd BCT, 2nd ID, Ft. Carson,… CO.MOS: Army MedicKIA 6-28-07 from IED. SPC Kim was killed along with four other members of his squad from IED wounds in Iraq during OIF.^Army SPC Shinwoo Kim, 2–12th Infantry Regt., 2nd BCT, 2nd ID, KIA 28 June 2007, OIF.14) Army SFC Nathan L. Winder, 32, of Blanding , UT.Unit: assigned to 2-1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Lewis WA .MOS: Special Forces MedicKIA 6-26-07 in Diwaniyah , Iraq , of a shot to the neck sustained from enemy small-arms fire.^Army SFC Nathan L. Winder, an adopted Korean-American, 2–1st SFG(A), KIA 26 June 2007, OIF.13) Army Spec. Louis G. Kim, 19, Covina , CAUnit: 1-26th Inf, 2nd BCT, 1st ID, Schweinfurt , Germany .KIA: 2-20-2007, Ramadi Iraq , from small-arms fire during combat operations.^Army SPC Louis G. Kim, 1–26th Infantry Regt., 2nd BCT, 1st ID., KIA 20 Feb 2007, OIF.12) Army Sgt. Jae S. Moon, 21, Levittown , PA. Unit: 2-12 Inf, 2nd BCT, 2nd ID, Ft. Carson, CO. KIA: 12-25-2006, Baghdad due to an IED attack.^Army SGT Jae-sik Moon, 2–12th Infantry Regt., 2nd BCT, 2nd ID, KIA 25 DEC 2006, OIF.11) Marine Lcpl. Minhee Andy Kim, 20, Ann Arbor , MIUnit: 1-24th Marines, 4th MarDiv, USMCR.KIA: 11-1-2006, Anbar Province , from small-arms fire during combat operations.^ Marine Lcpl. Minhee Andy Kim; 1-24th Marines, 4th MarDiv, USMCR; KIA 01 NOV 2006; OIF.10) Army PFC Jang-ho Kim, 20, Placentia , CA. Unit: 1-26 Inf, 2nd BCT, 1st ID, Schweinfurt , Germany. KIA: 11-13-2006, Baghdad/OIF due to an IED.^Army PFC Jang-ho Kim; 1-26 Inf, 2nd BCT, 1st ID; KIA 13 NOV 2006; OIF.9) Army Sgt. Kyu H. Chay, 34, Fayettville , NC. Unit: 1-3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg , NC. KIA: 10-28-2006, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, IED.^Army SGT Kyu H. Chay, 1-3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). KIA: 28 OCT 2006.8. Marine Lcpl. Kun Y. Kim, 20, Atlanta , GA. Unit: 3-8 Marines, 2nd MarDiv, II MEF, Camp Lejeune , NC. KIA: 4-2-2006, Anbar Province, Iraq, during combat ops.^Marine Lcpl. Kun Y. Kim; 3-8 Marines, 2nd MarDiv, II MEF; KIA 2 APRIL 2006; OIF.7) Navy QM2 (SEAL) James Suh, 28, Deerfield Beach , FLUnit: SDV-Team 1, Pearl Harbor , HIKIA: 6-28-2005, mountains of eastern Afghanistan , MH-47 Chinook helicopter crash during “Operation Redwings.”^Navy QM2 (SEAL) James Suh; SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDV Team 1). KIA: 28 JUNE 2005.6) Army PFC Samuel S. Lee, 19, Anaheim , CA. Unit: 1-506 IN, 2nd ID, Camp Greaves , Korea. KIA: 3-28-2005, Ramadi , Iraq , non-combat incident.^Army PFC Samuel S. Lee, 1–506 Infantry Regiment, 2nd ID. KIA: 28 MARCH 2005.5) Army PFC Min-soo Choi, 21, RiverVale, NJ. Unit: 6-8 Cav, 4th Bde, 3rd ID, Ft. Stewart, GA. MOS: 11B. KIA: 2-26-2005, Abertha , Iraq , IED.^Army PFC Min-soo Choi, MOS 11B, 6-8 Cav, 4th Bde, 3rd ID; KIA 26 FEB 2005; OIF.4) Marine Cpl. In-Chul Kim, 23, Warren , MI. Unit: 9th Com Btn, 1st MEF, PendletonKIA: 12-7-2004, Anbar Province , Iraq , vehicle accident.^Cpl In-Chul Kim; 9th Com Btn, 1st MEF; KIA 7 DEC 2004; OIF.3) Army Pvt Jeung-jin Na Kim, 23, Honolulu , HIUnit: 2-17 FA, 2nd ID, Camp Hovey , KoreaKIA: 10-6-2004, Ramadi , Iraq , small-arms fire during combat operations.^Army PVT Jeung-jin Na Kim; 2-17 FA, 2nd ID; KIA 06 OCT 2004; OIF.2) Marine Cpl. Bum R. Lee, 21, Sunnyvale , CAUnit: 2-4 Marines, 1st MarDiv, 1st MEF, Camp Pendleton. KIA: 6-2-2004, Anbar Province , Iraq during combat operations.^Cpl. Bum R. Lee; 2-4 Marines, 1st MarDiv, 1st MEF; KIA 02 JUNE 2004; OIF.1) Marine Lcpl. Brad S. Shuder, 21, El Dorado , CA. Unit: 2-1 Marines, 1st MarDiv, 1st MEF,Camp Pendleton. KIA: 4-12-2004, Anbar Province , Iraq from enemy mortar fire.^Marine Lcpl. Brad S. Schuder, an adopted Korean American, 2-1 Marines, 1st MarDiv, 1st MEF; KIA 12 April 2004; OIF.11 Vietnamese-Americans KIA during OIF/OEF after 9/11/2001: (List may not be complete):11) Marine Lcpl. Tevan L. Nguyen: 21, of Hutto, Texas; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Dec. 28, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.^Marine Lcpl. Tevan L. Nguyen: 21, 3–5th Marine, 1st MarDiv, 1 MEF, KIA 28 DEC 2010, OEF.10) Army PFC Tan Q. Ngo: 20, of Beaverton, Ore.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany; died Aug. 27, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol received small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.^Army PFC Tan Q. Ngo: assigned to 1–4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany, KIA: 27 AUG 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan due RPG attack.9) Army Staff SGT Du Hai Tran: 30, of Reseda, Calif.; assigned to the Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died June 20, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on patrol during combat operations.^Army Staff SGT Du Hai Tran, 30, of Reseda, Calif.; assigned to the Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; KIA 20 June 2008 in Balad, Iraq, OIF.8) Army SPC Dan H. Nguyen: 24, of Sugar Land, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 8, 2007 in Tahrir, Iraq while trying to rescue a fellow soldier when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.^Army Spc. Dan H. Nguyen, 24 of Sugarland, Texas, KIA 08 MAY 2007) while trying to rescue a soldier in Iraq during OIF.7) Army SGT Long N. Nguyen: 27, of Portland, Ore.; assigned to the 141st Brigade Support Battalion, Oregon ARNG, Portland, Ore.; died Feb. 10, 2007 of a non-combat-related wound in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.^Army Sgt. Long N. Nguyen, 27, of Portland, Oregon of the 41st Infantry Brigade Support Battalion, OR ARNG, died 10 FEB 2007 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, of a non-combat related wound.6) Army SFC Tung M. Nguyen: 38, of Tracy, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airoborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 14, 2006 of injuries suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad.^Army SGT Tung. M. Nguyen, 38, of Tracy, CA, assigned to 2–3rd SFG(A), Fort Bragg, NC, KIA: 14 NOV 2006 due to combat operations in Baghdad during OIF.5) Army SPC Quoc-Binh Tran: 26, of Mission Viejo, Calif.; assigned to the 181st Support Battalion, California Army National Guard, San Bernardino, Calif.; died Nov. 7, 2004, of wounds sustained due to an IED during convoy operations in Baghdad.^Army SPC Quoc-Binh Tran: 26, of Mission Viejo, Calif.; assigned to the 181st Support Battalion, California ARNG, San Bernardino, Calif.; died 07 NOV, 2004.4) Marine Lcpl. Andrew S. Dang: 20, of Foster City, Calif.; assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed March 22, 2004 by hostile fire near Ramadi, Iraq.^Marine Lcpl. Andrew S. Dang: 20, of Foster City, Calif.; assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st MarDiv, I MEF, Camp Pendleton, CA.KIA: 22 MAR, 2004.3) Marine Lcpl. Victor R. Lu: 22, of Los Angeles; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov. 13, 2004 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq. Victor Ronald Huyen Lu’s parents were Vietnamese refugees and his father was a former South Vietnamese Army officer who fled Viet Nam in 1975.^Marine Lcpl. Victor R. Lu: 22, of Los Angeles; assigned to 3-5th Marine, 1st MarDiv, I MEF, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA. KIA: 13 NOV 20042) Marine Cpl. Binh N. Le: 20, of Alexandria, Va.; assigned to 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 3, 2004 of injuries sustained in enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.^Marine Cpl. Binh N. Le: 20, of Alexandria, Va.; assigned to 5-10th Marine, 2nd MarDiv, II MEF, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died 03 DEC 2004.1 ) Marine Lcpl. Alan Dinh Lam: 19, of Snow Camp, N.C; assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed on April 22, 2003, in a non-hostile accident when a RPG launcher being fired for familiarization malfunctioned near Kut, Iraq. The incident is under investigation.^Marine Lcpl. Alan Dinh Lam: 19, of Snow Camp, N.C; assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; KIA on April 22, 2003,11 Chinese Americans KIA during OIF/OEF after 9/11/2001. (List may not be complete.)11) Marine Lcpl. Harry Lew:10) Army PFC Danny Chen:9) Army SGT Yihjyh L. Chen:8) Army PFC Ming Sun:7) Army SPC Roger S. Lee:6) Army SSG Edmund L. Lo:5) Navy Corpsman HM2: Xin Qi:4) Army CWO-3: Cornell C. Chao: 36, of Orange City, Calif.; assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan 28, 2007 of wounds sustained when his helicopter crashed during combat operations in Najaf, Iraq. Also killed was Army Capt. Mark T. Resh.^Army CWO-3: Cornell C. Chao: 36, of Orange City, Calif.; assigned to the 4-227th Aviation, 1st AirCav Bde, 1st Cav Div, Fort Hood, Texas; died 28 Jan 2007 during helicopter combat operations in Iraq during OIF.3) Marine Lcpl. Jeffrey Lam: 22, of Queens, N.Y.; assigned to the 6th Communications Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Marine Corps Reserve, Brooklyn, N.Y.; killed Nov. 8, 2004 in a non-hostile vehicle incident in Anbar province, Iraq.^Marine Lcpl. Jeffrey Lam: 22, of Queens, N.Y.; assigned to the 6th Coms Btn, 4th FSSG, USMCR, Brooklyn, N.Y. KIA: 08 NOV 8, 20042) Army SGT Elijah Tai-Wah Wong, 42, Mesa, AZ, of the Arizona ARNG 363rd EOD Co., KIA: 09 FEB 2004, in Sinjar, Iraq during EOD operations.^Army SGT Elijah Tai-Wah Wong, AZ ARNG, 363rd EOD, KIA: 09 FEB 2004, OIF.1 ) Army SPC Doron Chan: 20, of Highland, N.Y.; assigned to 411th Engineer Brigade, Army Reserve, New Windsor, N.Y.; killed March 18, 2004, when his convoy vehicle was cut off by a civilian vehicle near Balad, Iraq. Chan’s vehicle swerved, crossed into oncoming traffic and flipped over.^Army SPC Doron Chan: 20, of Highland, N.Y.; assigned to 411th Engineer Brigade, USAR, New Windsor, N.Y. KIA 08 March 2004,2 Hmong-Americans KIA in OIF/OEF since 9–11–2001:2) Army SPC Qixing Hwjhuam Lee: 20, of Minneapolis; assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Aug. 27, 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A3 Bradley Vehicle during combat operations in Taji, Iraq. Also killed were Sgt. Moises Jazmin, Spc. Shaun A. Novak and Spc. Tristan C. Smith.August 27, 2006, OIF.^Army SPC Qixing H. Lee, KIA 27 AUG 2006.1 ) Army Specialist, Thai Vue: 22, of Willows, Calif.; assigned to the 127th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, V Corps, Hanau, Germany; killed June 18, 2004 when a mortar round hit the motor pool where he was working in Baghdad.^Army SPC Thai Vue, 18 JUNE 2004.1 Japanese-American KIA in OIF/OEF since 9/11/2001:1 ) USAF Capt. Reid K. Nishizuka: 30, of Kailua, Hawaii, assigned to 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; died April 27, 2013, in the crash of an MC-12 aircraft near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Also killed in the incident were Capt. Brandon L. Cyr, of Woodbridge, Va., Staff Sgt. Richard A. Dickson, of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; and Staff Sgt. Daniel N. Fannin, of Morehead, Ky.^USAF Capt. Reid K. Nishizuka, KIA 27 APRIL 2013.

Pure coincidence. Stop spreading misconceptions.The Mumbai attacks wasn't a "natural disaster". It was a terrorist attack. And the 9/11 attacks certainly weren't on the 26th.The Nepal earthquake was on 25th April 2015.You just focused on disasters that happened on the 26th. There have been plenty of calamities that took place on a different day.*Tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011*Nepal earthquake on April 25, 2015 and 12 May, 2015*Hurricane Katrina on August 23, 2005*Hurricane Sandy on October 22, 2012*Bhopal Gas Tragedy on December 2, 1984*Haiti Earthquake on January 12, 2010If you want me to outnumber the entries listed in your question details, browse through these:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_landslide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Atlantic_hurricaneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_21st-century_earthquakeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_floodshttp://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2011/03/the-10-most-destructive-tsunamis-in-history/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tropical_cyclones

This is the list of Education Ministers of India :Name of Education MinistersTenureDuration1.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad15th August 1947-22nd January 195810 Years, 5 Months2.Dr. K. L. Shrimali(Minister of State)22nd January 1958-31st August 19634 Years, 6 Months3.Shri Humayun Kabir1st September 1963-21st November 19633 Months4.Shri. M. C. Chagla21st November 1963-13th November 19662 Years, 1 Month5.Shri. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed14th November 1966-13th March 19675 Months6.Dr. Triguna Sen16th March 1967-14th February 19691 Year, 5 Months7.Dr. V. K. R. V. Rao14th February 1969-18th March 19712 Years, 2 Months8.Shri. Siddhartha Shankar Ray18th March 1971-20th March 19721 Year9.Prof. S. Nurul Hasan(as Minister of State)24th March 1972-24th March 19775 Years10.Prof. Pratap Chandra Chunder Â26th March 1977-28th July 19792 Years, 4 Months11.Dr. Karan Singh30th July 1979-14th January 19806 Months12.Shri. B. Shankaranand14th January 1980-17th October 198010 Months13.Shri. S.B. Chavan17th October 1980-8th August 198111 Months14.Smt. Sheila Kaul(as Minister of State)10th August 1981-31st December 19843 Years, 8 Months15.Shri. K. C. Pant31st December 1984-25th September 19859 Months16.Shri. P.V. Narasimha Rao(As a Prime Minister)25th September 1985-25th June 1988,25th December 1994-9th February 1995,17th January 1996-16th May 19963 Years, 4 Months +3 Months +5 Months17.Shri. P.Shiv Shankar25th June 1988-2ndDecember 19891 Year, 6 Months18.Shri. V.P. Singh(as Prime Minister)2nd December 1989-10th November 19901 Year19.Shri. Rajmangal Pandey21st November 1990-21st June 19918 Months20.Shri. Arjun Singh23rd June 1991-24th December 1994,22nd May 2004-22nd May 20093 Years, 6 Months +6 Years21.Shri. Madhavrao Scindia10th February 1995-17th January 19961 year22.Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (as Prime Minister)16th May 1996-1st June 19961 Month23.Shri. S.R. Bommai5th June 1996-19th March 19981 Years, 9 Months24.Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi19th March 1998-21st May 20045 Years, 8 Months25.Shri Kapil Sibal22nd May 2009-28th October 20123 Years, 3 Months26.Shri. M. M. Pallam Raju29th October 2012-25th May 20142 Years, 3 Months27.Smt. Smriti Irani26th May 2014-5thJuly 20162 Years, 2 Months28.Shri. Prakash Javdekar5th July 2016 (evening)-Till Date3 months-till dateSource : wikipedia