General urges Asian-Pacific Americans to pursue opportunities

  • Published
  • By Bo Joyner
  • Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Robert “Lance” Chu would like to see more Asian-Pacific Americans take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.

“But not just Asian-Pacific people,” said Dr. Chu, the mobilization assistant to the assistant surgeon general for healthcare operations at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. “We’re trying to reach out to all minorities to broaden the face of the Air Force.

"To become a more effective organization, diversity is one of the ingredients," said Dr. Chu, who is the highest-ranking Asian-Pacific American currently serving in Air Force Reserve Command. "Our senior leaders have stated clearly that diversity is vital to readiness and mission accomplishment.”

Dr. Chu was born in Hong Kong and became a naturalized citizen after immigrating to the United States at the age of 2. He began his Air Force career as an ROTC cadet at Fordham University in New York. A distinguished military graduate, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1972.

From there, he graduated from the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb. Dr. Chu completed his internship at the University of Southern California Medical Center and his residency at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco.

After four years of active duty, Dr. Chu joined the Air Force Reserve in 1984. He served in the unit program at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., for 13 years, the last five as commander of the 452nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron, before making the transition to mobilization assistant in 1998. He assumed his current duties in March 2004 and was promoted to brigadier general in April 2005.

As a civilian, Dr. Chu has been an attending physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles since 1984.

“The Air Force Reserve has given me some tremendous opportunities,” he said. “I was given the chance to lead very early on in my military career and have continued to have many opportunities to learn and advance. And those same opportunities are available to men and women of all different races and backgrounds.

“I think there are a lot of Asian-Pacific Americans who are interested in science and technology … and that’s not a bad stereotype," he said.

"The bottom line is the Air Force has a lot to offer in the area of science and technology," Dr. Chu said. "The opportunities are definitely there.”

For Asian-Pacific Americans who are fluent in a language other than English, that can also be a benefit when pursuing a career in the Air Force or Air Force Reserve.

“Knowing a second language is becoming more and more important globally and in the military,” Dr. Chu said. “In the future, knowing additional languages will likely give you an advantage on job assignments and promotions.”

The doctor said that when he talks to young minorities, he tells them to expect roadblocks that other people might not have to face.

“In a lot of cases, you’re not going to look like everybody else, and your background is not the same as everybody else’s, but there’s nothing you can do about that,” he said. “All you can do is try to diplomatically fit in whenever you can and try to have people see you for your work and your talents rather than your race or background.”

Dr. Chu tells people not to feel sorry for themselves or blame others for putting obstacles in front of them.

“If you go through life focusing on the hurdles people put up in front of you, you may never maximize your potential,” he said. “The key is to find something you enjoy doing and work as hard as you can at it. If you are good at what you do, people will see past your sex or the color of your skin.”

(Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service)