WEBVTT

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- [Narrator] As a public relations specialist one of my jobs

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is to find the story within the story.

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While deployed to Puerto Rico it was easy to see what the

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story was and continues to be.

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It's all around you, and the National Guard is doing a great

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job responding as this island territory of the U.S.

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continues to recover from the aftermath of hurricane Maria.

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However during a recon of the town of Coamos

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and a visit with the local Puerto Rican

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National Guard unit there,

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I discovered a story within the story.

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I met specialist Ken Chan, a Chinese American whose family

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moved to Puerto Rico from New York when he was only one.

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- What I do in the military I'm a camo guy who establish

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communications with other units

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and, ah, puts Singar,

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antenna and VSAT

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^(speaking in Spanish)

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^(speaking in Chinese)

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- [Narator] Now this would have to be the definition

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of a story within a story, but there's even more.

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Chan is brand new to the national guard

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and had just finished training

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and returned home to Puerto Rico

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when hurricane Maria hit.

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His young skills were called upon.

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- There's a lot of people right now in this town

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Coamos, they have no sorters, some sort of communication

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and some of their family members

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are in the United States and they

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and they can't contact them

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so sometime I help them

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'cause, to put communication they

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at the end of the day they always thank me a lot,

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and I say it's no problem, it's my job.

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Pretty much, that's part of why I joined the National Guard.

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- [Narrator] Despite his uniqueness

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at the end of the day, specialist Chan

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is a soldier, a National Guard soldier

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at that, and a mighty good one.

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But the questions still beg to be asked,

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are you the only Asian American

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Puerto Rican National Guardsman on the island?

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- So far in my experience, yes. (laughs)

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- [Narrator] Whilst specialist Chan's background

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might be uncommon in Puerto Rico

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his heart and professionalism is

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right at home in the National Guard.

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Reporting from Coamos, Puerto Rico

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for the North Carolina National Guards

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382nd Public Affairs Attachment,

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I'm army sergeant Ron Lee.