DAR Americanism Award Speech
DAR Americanism Award Speech
Sunny K. Park
December 10, 2005
Ansley Country Club, Atlanta, GA
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I want to thank the award selection committee
members for your bad job in selecting the wrong person for the award. I am not sure that
I should be the one to receive such a distinguished award. The immigrant community
contains so many other patriots who love America and would die for America. They may
not be visible to the mainstream community because they are usually rather quiet, but
their numbers are so great, you can’t even count them. You noticed me because I perhaps
talk a little too much, based on my close friend’s evaluation, but I am thankful to my
mother Chung Pyung-nim, who trained me to be a bigmouth.
I want to thank to Ms. Nancy Jordan and Ms. Lynn Brackey for their devoted
leadership of DAR. Every American knows that DAR is a large organization of
wonderful and patriotic people, but after getting to know Nancy and Lynn, I realize that
they are tenacious and beautiful people as well. America should be proud of those two
and all of you—the members of this chapter of DAR.
If I may, I would like to thank my friends who came today to help me celebrate
this honor: [names go here.]
I want also to thank my family, my children, and my employees for their
unconditional support as I run around the country and do whatever it is that I do.
As an American, and particularly as an immigrant American and a naturalized
citizen of this great nation, I am truly honored at the recognition from an organization
like DAR.
In my travels, I find that some people need reminding that immigrants didn’t
come to the United States only with economic goals in their minds, but they also brought
long-held values to their new country. In some respects, these values hearken back to the
America of old. While many observers wonder where America’s values have gone, I’d
like to say that these same observers might look to America’s recent immigrants to
discover what might be missing. I’m talking about values like a strong work ethic and
what are considered to be old-fashioned moral standards.
But while we welcome legal immigrants—with their work ethic and their values
and their morals—and encourage them to become new citizens, I am not sure we are
doing a good enough job in training them as American citizens.
Think about it: What does an employer do when hiring a new employee? Train
them, of course! Gives the new worker a good introduction to the company’s history and
culture, makes sure the new hire understands the reason for the hire, introduces the new
hire to his or her fellow employees, teaches about the company’s unique way of doing
business, and so on. This way, the company will have more productivity from the efforts
of the new employee, and the new employee will find more enjoyment in the new job.
On the other hand, what happens if an employer doesn’t train new employees at
all? They will work according to the rules and culture of their former employers, because
they don’t know the difference.
So, my contention is that America, in its role as host for the new citizens we
accept every day, is obligated to invest more time and effort in guiding them to become
the types of citizens American needs. Make sure they understand the reason we are
granting the citizenship. Inform them about the rules and culture of this country. Teach
American history and lore so new citizens can love and serve this nation like you and I
do. If we don’t, they will live like in the old days in their former countries, with their old
rules and priorities. Frankly, we might not like the results.
If we don’t start guiding these new citizens soon enough, and with the number of
new citizens increasing, America could soon become more like the countries our new
citizens left, rather than the America that they came to embrace and that we’d like to
keep. By not training immigrants better than we do, we have a certain recipe for chaos.
But I will tell you one thing more. I am still so optimistic about America’s future!
Our system has been improving over the last 229 years, and we will continue to prosper.
DAR members: I strongly believe that America will continue to be the best place
on earth because of your roles as caretakers of this nation. It was September 13, 1985,
when I first met a member of DAR. I will never forget the DAR volunteer who greeted
me with a big smile as I walked out of the courtroom where I had just been sworn in as a
new American. Her sweater was probably a double XL, and her smile was even bigger
than that.
Aside from her smile, she also gave me a small red rose, not to mention a small
American flag that I still keep in our china cabinet. More than anything, she gave me
some lessons that had an impact that lasts to this day:
America is full of love and care!
America is full of volunteers!
I am here because American needs me!
I made up my mind at that moment. I will be the best citizen this nation ever had,
and I mean ever!
Let me return the favor of the lady in the big sweater by telling you again my
important message for today: There are so many patriots in immigrant communities, but
they are quiet. We need to stimulate and empower these sleeping giants.
We love America!
With you, we want to take care of this great nation, and make this nation an even
better place to live and die for.
I want you to count me in!
I want you to count in also my fellow immigrants, who will help me take care of
this great nation.
Merry Christmas to you all!
God bless the troops on the front lines!
And God bless the U.S. of A.!
