Mr. Leggett: Many years ago, I used to serve in Vietnam, and I always wanted to go back. Going that far, there are things I wanted to do in addition to Vietnam a sort of combination of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. But more importantly, I have always been fascinated by that part of the world. In addition to serving in Vietnam, I had the chance to go to China three times. I spent time in South Korea; I've been to Taiwan, Japan. I like that part of the world. It's a culturally neat place with a great deal to learn. I'm always listening and learning, and I wanted to take the chance and go and see and explore a little more. It turns out to be more than just a relaxing vacation as such; my wife and I look at it more as an adventure, a cultural, educational kind of vacation rather than just sitting on the beach for two weeks (laughs). We've done some adventurous things before. We spent time in the Brazilian jungle. We spent time in the rainforest before, we even lived up in a treehouse. We were on the Galapagos Islands a couple of years ago. And so, we had some adventurous trips. This will be a continuation, not a traditional vacation, more of a cognitive-educational vacation. So this is a private trip, this is not government-to-government. Some of the other trips I've been on most recently have been government-related trips, but this is a private trip.

Asian Fortune: You served in the Vietnam War. What do you think of Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington?

Mr. Leggett: I think it's an extraordinary piece of work. Visually it's striking, but it is an emotional piece that really captures the essence of the Vietnam struggle and the sacrifices that people made. Whenever I go down there, I really have a very strong emotional and physical reaction. I think it's a reminder of the struggle and the sacrifices that people made. If you look at it in that sense, that's what a memorial is designed to do: to recognize and appreciate, but also to portray with dignity and respect the sacrifices that people made. I've always been very moved by it. I remember a lot of the names of people which are on that wall. I just think this is a remarkable achievement - a remarkable achievement.

Asian Fortune: Do you have close ties with the Asian American community?

Mr. Leggett: We have a large Asian American community in Montgomery County; we are the largest in the state of Maryland. We have nearly a million people, and thirteen percent of our community are Asian, and so it's a fairly significant number in the county. And that number continues to grow. It's the largest in the state of Maryland, one of the largest in the region. It is a fairly diverse community, and I think that's one of the strengths of Montgomery County: the fact that we have such strong diversity, people from all over the world. When we went on economic trade missions to other places of the world, South Korea, India, to China - we have people right here in the community who are doing business and working in that part of the world today, and so we have the strength of variety, of people and cultures that are now mixed, and I think that only enhances us as a community. So I'm very proud of the great diversity we have and the large Asian community that exists in Montgomery County. They make a tremendous contribution and a lot of good.

Asian Fortune: Lily Qi, a Chinese American, is part of your administration. What is her role?

Mr. Leggett: She is a personal advisor to me, a liaison [for Asian American affairs] within my administration - we have programs, services, needs; there are things that I should do, issues that impact the community. Among other things, her primary role is to help us to better understand and be a bridge between the county government and the Asian community. She brings a great deal of expertise about the community overall, and I think her insight makes many people respect and admire her.

Asian Fortune: Do you think Asian Americans face similar challenges as African Americans when it comes to realizing the American dream?

Mr. Leggett: Yes and no. Yes that, there are still in this country some stereotypes that are made of all minorities. That's just a fact of life. And whether or not you're Asian, Latino, African American, even today there'd be some form of discrimination. There are some issues that are common: the issues of housing, transportation, the impact of the environment�. But there are things that are different because the African American community does not have the same language challenges; they do not have the same cultural challenges. Whereas African Americans oftentimes will have to deal with basically the challenge of just color, Asian Americans will have to deal with two challenges: They have the problem of color, and they have the problem of language. And also, they have the challenge that their culture makes them a bit different from the rest of society.

Asian Fortune: As the first African American elected to the Montgomery County Council, do you regard yourself as a role model for minority youths with similar aspirations?

Mr. Leggett: Not just for minorities - I hope that I'm a role model for everybody. That's the way I've operated when you look at my background, my experiences, and the issues that I had to address, the challenges over the years�. You have to do your job right; you have to do it in a way that is dignified and respectful of people. Everybody can learn from that. So I hope that I'm a role model for all young people, at least I strive to be. And I think, yes, you can take pride in the fact that you have achieved this level of success. But the role model part of my success doesn't come solely from my election, but comes with the election and my ability to serve in a successful way. The election is one event, but the lasting legacy of a role model is: How good did you serve?

Asian Fortune: You participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Could you share some memories with us?

Mr. Leggett: I grew up in the South, in Louisiana. I saw the days of segregation and Jim Crow, having real challenges, a very impoverished background, one of thirteen kids, and just living in abject poverty. In fact, I joke to people at times that my office, this office, and that little room right there would be the equivalent of the entire house that I lived in. Especially my mom and a few other people apprised me close by that I was intelligent enough to do better and urged me just to try to get into college, and I eventually did. I had a chance to hear Dr. King twice, live, in person. I just left with the motivation that I wanted to make a difference. I never thought that I would be in the position that I am today (laughs). I was much more aggressive, almost to the point of being radical on the Civil Rights side. I was very much involved in the sit-ins, the demonstrations as a student. That got me into the quest for politics.

There is a knock, and the door of the County Executive's office opens. It is his liaison, Lily Qi, returning from moderating a panel at the Asian American Health Conference.