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New York, NY– OCA will present its Outstanding Citizen Achievement Award to L. Tammy Duckworth, who recently resigned as assistant secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Ms. Duckworth has announced plans to run next year for the 8th congressional district of Illinois.

The presentation will be made at its Gala Dinner on August 6, the highlight of its National Convention in this City on August 4-7. OCA will also present its Pioneer Award to Dr. Bobby Fong, president of Ursinus College, and actor BD Wong.

“We are proud to honor a diverse and talented group of APAs who have made inspiring contributions to society,” said OCA National President Ken Lee. OCA (www.ocanational.org) is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).

The convention with its theme, Advocacy Through Compassion–A New York State of Mind, will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. OCA will also recognize its own members with the Chapter of the Year Award and the Unsung Heroes Awards.

Lee said the Unsung Heroes Awards, presented by the Buick Division of General Motors Company, “recognizes our volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts to advancing the many causes on behalf of OCA and their local community.”

The convention draws hundreds of APAs from around the country. It features three days of workshops, exhibits, youth and college programs, film screenings and notable speakers.

Duckworth, a major in the Illinois Army National Guard, served in Iraq as an Assistant Operations Officer and also flew combat missions as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. During a mission north of Baghdad in 2004, her aircraft was ambushed and a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter she was co-piloting. She continued to attempt to pilot the aircraft until passing out from blood loss. She lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm. For her actions, she received several awards, including the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.

Since her recovery at Walter Reed, Duckworth has dedicated her life to public service, advocating on behalf of disability rights and Veterans. In 2008, she was selected by Candidate Barack Obama to deliver the presidential campaign’s key address on Veterans’ rights at the Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she received the American Veterans (AMVETS) Silver Helmet award,, as well as the George Washington University’s Colin Powell Public Service Award.

Pioneer Honorees

Dr. Bobby Fong is the president of Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. He attended Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1973. In 2001 he became President of Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, one of only 20 Asian-American college presidents in the country.

Dr. Fong is Vice Chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and serves on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the American Council for Education’s National Task Force on Institutional Accreditation.

BD Wong is a multi-award winning actor. He is the only actor ever to have received all five major New York Theater awards for his Broadway debut in “M. Butterfly.” He was in the top-rated TV series Law & Order. His film credits include Jurassic Park, Father of the Bride (1 & 2), and Seven Years in Tibet. Wong’s community work has also been recognized by Asian AIDS Project, GLAAD, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Unsung Heroes

“GM and the Buick Division highly values volunteerism, and are committed to sponsoring organizations and programs that support the Asian Pacific American community,” said Eric Peterson, vice president of GM Corporate Diversity and director of GM Industry Dealer Affairs.

Among the Unsung Heroes are: Astria Wong has been a member of OCA-Greater Phoenix for 10 years and has formerly served as the chapter president; Kwong Eng has been a member of OCA-New York for 13 years, serving on the chapter board for the past three years and the advisory board for a year; Nancy Woo has been a member of OCA-Greater Sacramento for eight years and currently serves as the chapter treasurer; Peggy Chen (OCA-Westchester & Hudson Valley) currently serves as the chapter’s vice president of Public Relations; Rita Chu has been a member of OCA-St. Louis for three years and served as Chapter board secretary in 2010; and Sam Luk has been a member of OCA-Greater Los Angeles for 20 years and serves on the chapter’s Community Executive Committee.