ManuaTele - Amata

Press Releases

Aumua Amata: "U.S. Census Bureau needs to get it right"
Monday March 8, 2010
Reprinted from Samoa News

2010 is the year of the Census and outreach is important. The U.S. constitution says that once every ten years the Government can count people. Of course we want to stand up and be counted but I for one would feel a lot better if the U.S. territories had not been left out on their home page. For example, you go to www.census.gov and they have the States and Puerto Rico on their map. What happened to the other territories, i.e. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas and Virgin Islands. We are part of the United States and therefore, a part of the Census process, so why are we not listed on their home page's drop down list?

In a way, this little incident summarizes the way the U.S. territories have been treated in the federal process for years: as an afterthought. Almost every action taken to include the territories has to be done "manually" because it's never "automatic." So, it's a never ending process of reminding the Feds that we exist and who we are.

Because Pacific Islander numbers are way down, it was suggested that I might want to reach out to people in different ways to encourage them to fill out their Census form. And I will do that. Taking the Census is a huge, tedious project and 'we the people' need to be as helpful as we can.

The U.S. Census Bureau also needs to do its part.

During the last tsunami scare, CNN incorrectly reported that Hawaii is located four thousand miles away from Hawaii's actual location. OK, granted that misstep is unrelated to the Census but this is CNN we're talking about. They actually mistook the Galapagos Islands for Hawaii and I was asked by someone from the nation's capitol, "Isn't American Samoa part of Hawaii?"

I encourage our people to fill out your Census form when the time comes.

Additionally, the Census Bureau needs to list us along with the States and Puerto Rico on the Census.gov site's map and other appropriate places on their home page. We're not asking for a special favor. We actually belong there. Include us please.

Hopefully by the time this is published, we will already have been listed. I for one will feel much better.

Aumua Amata

Source: Samoa News

The heroes among us� Flying Doctors of America Thursday February 18, 2010
By Teri Hunkin reporters@samoanews.com

There are heroes among us. Very often, they are quiet and unassuming people who labor day in and day out to care for others; they are the "Mother Teresa's" of the world - sometimes they are hospice workers, other times they are family members who put their lives on hold to nurse someone back to health, or to stand by them through the end of their days.

But once in a while a larger than life hero comes along; ornery, flamboyant and engaging, this one has your attention immediately.

Persistent, tenacious, some would say "stubborn" - he would most definitely NOT want to be called "hero" ... but what else do you call someone who had a burning desire to help his fellow man - taken straight from the words of Jesus - and with a paltry $700 and a grain of faith began an organization that has served hundreds of thousands of people on medical missions of mercy on nearly every continent around the globe for over 20 years?

Allan M. Gathercoal, the president and founder of Flying Doctors of America, will make you rethink your life as he tells you about his.

Saying he began the Flying Doctors "on a wing and a prayer" Gathercoal's passion and enthusiasm for his ministry is evident.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm". It is Gathercoal, and his Flying Doctors of America, who are living proof that is true.

The non-profit, non-sectarian organization begun by the visionary Gathercoal has to date flown nearly 300 missions and provided free medical care to more than 200,000 children, women and men in some of the world's most remote and impoverished places.

While their vision is broad, the FDoA's mission statement is simple: "to provide medical assistance and hope to as many of the poor and needy as we are able to reach."

And reach out they have: among the areas they have served are Mexico, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, India, Africa, South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia), China & Mongolia.

In August this year, they will add the South Pacific to their list, as the group will fly in with a team of 20, including medical doctors, dentists, nurses and technicians to work in the islands of Tutuila and Manu'a.

DR. GATHERCOAL'S STORY

Samoa News caught up with Dr. Gathercoal and his lovely Peruvian wife LizMarcela this past weekend at Ta'alolo Lodge, where they are busy meeting with doctors and directors, as well as coordinating their next several trips, including the trip to American Samoa this summer.

Gathercoal revealed a past riddled with irony; he had been a soldier in Viet Nam "dedicated to destroying" - yet he wound up here, a minister, medically trained, and a pilot, dedicated to healing.

How did this transformation take place? Gathercoal stated without hesitation, "God interrupts people's lives."

While Gathercoal was working on obtaining his hours and certification for a pilot's license in Viet Nam, Nixon began to wind down the war. Several flight schools were closing, and Gathercoal found himself searching for a place to finish his tour of duty.

Stating firmly, "There are no coincidences!" he spoke of walking into the office of two army Chaplains: McRoberts and Fingers, one a Presbyterian, the other a Lutheran.

It was, he admitted, an unlikely place for him to have been assigned. A kid with a lot of 'street cred' he said "Up till then, the only time I prayed was when I saw the police coming."

Not one to mince words, he then declared, "Getting stuck in that office was a gift from God. It was because of His goodness - the Providence of God - that I was set on a different path."

"I was clueless about Christianity" he says, "until that time."

What changed him? He will tell you straight up: "It was the teachings of Jesus ... Jesus was all about healing, wholeness and hope ... and so it became the foundation of my ministry ... when I read the 25th Chapter of Matthew wherein Jesus said, "Whatsoever you have done to the least of these, my brethren, you have done unto me" ... I knew that I had to go from the life I had lived (a soldier, trained to destroy) to a life of caring for others."

He explained, "You cannot come away from those words - the admonition of Christ - without wondering how your life needs to change."

Gathercoal left the army believing he wanted to go into medicine. Working at Loma Linda Emergency room while taking pre-med classes at Cal State, he left that to go into active ministry. Eventually, he would build a church, earn graduate degrees in Psychology and Theology, and obtain a doctorate from Columbia Theological Seminary.

In 1996 he received the "Vision of Race Unity Award" an honor bestowed by the Baha'i community on those who fight prejudice in our world. He has also pioneered businesses and educational programs, and taught Leadership Development at Emory University.

But above all, it is the Flying Doctors of America that consumes him. Stating flatly, "a ministry needs to be more about practice than proclamation ... it needs to be about doing what we believe versus talking about what we believe ... the true ministry of a church is always outside the church ... Christ�s ministry was outside the walls of Jerusalem ... I knew as I read the scriptures that I had to move from killing to caring - I needed a serious retraining from my former mindset ... it was a total reprogramming for me."

How does one go from destroying to healing - actions at the opposite ends of the spectrum of human behavior? Said Gathercoal, "the whole kernel - the idea for the Flying Doctors - really came from the Bible. As Christians, we are called to care for the less fortunate. To be a Christian and be indifferent to suffering is anathema ... it is simply not possible."

That was 35 years ago, and looking back, Gathercoal said, he realized that at each turn, the hand of Providence was there.

FLYING TO AMERICAN SAMOA

The FDoA plan their calendars years in advance. What put American Samoa on their calendar was the question posed to Gathercoal, who is himself trained in emergency medicine.

"It was Aumua Amata who first contacted me."

Amata, in conversation with Samoa News, said, "The credit doesn't go to any one single person ... it was a collaborative effort. These Flying Doctors are people with tremendous compassion ... their level of outreach around the world is stunning."

In 2008 Amata called Dr. Gathercoal (who was on a medical mission at the time) and since then, they have kept in touch by email.

Amata then contacted Patricia Tindall, who was LBJ's CEO, and she noted, "Patti immediately saw the impact that they could have. She was very positive about the idea, and offered to help in every way possible to make it happen."

"Because The 'Flying Docs' were already booked up in 2008 and 2009, this is the first chance they have had to match up our needs with their medical expertise" said Amata.

Dr. Gathercoal and his wife Liz have flown down at their own expense to see how they can help us, and they have scheduled us in for August.

"This is FDoA's introduction to the South Pacific region and we're hoping they will make this an annual medical mission," she noted.

Gathercoal, whose medical ministry includes a roster of 4500 MDs, 1500 dentists, 1500 RNs, Physician's Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners to call upon - along with about 1500 support staff (Chiropractors, pharmacists, and medical technicians) - is considering establishing American Samoa as a Flying Doctors of America base for the South Pacific region.

American Samoan West Point Cadet Stewart Coleman-Glenister heads to Beijing University

Reprinted from Samoa News
Saturday, January 16, 2010

Stewart Glenister, the youngest son of Limonmon Coleman of Pago Pago and Ret. CSM Tuaua Roland Glenister of Nuuuli, embarked on an adventure to China last week. The cadet, who is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. was selected to study Mandarin Chinese at the University of Beijing. Stewart, who has strong ties to American Samoa, is the paternal grandson of Mrs. Naijo Nomura Belford and Roland Glenister Sr., and the maternal grandson of the late Gov. and Mrs. Peter Tali Coleman.

In 2008 Glenister, who is a member of the Army swimming and diving team for West Point, and whose parents and grandparents were born and raised in American Samoa, earned a spot on American Samoa�s Olympic Swim Team and went on to win his heat in Beijing.

While meeting and becoming aquainted with many Chinese friends during the Olympics, Glenister developed a keen interest in Mandarin. When he was selected by West Point to study abroad he jumped at the chance. Stewart, one of the top students at the Military Academy, is the first cadet of Samoan descent to participate in this exclusive academic program which includes classes on China's civilization, culture, news and media as well as special tutors.

Stewart's Auntie, Deputy Director of Homeland Security Cinta Nomura Brown said, "We thank God for blessing Stewart with so many talents of which our entire family is so very proud and these meaningful experiences will stand him in good stead later in his career as he develops his leadership skills."

A faculty member with the Department of Foreign Languages noted that one of the most significant strategic shifts at West Point since the Bicentennial Campaign is "the exponential increase in opportunities for cadets to study abroad." The signature opportunity is study for a full semester abroad to broaden the cadet's horizons and get to experience culture firsthand in different countries all over the world."

Upon completion of his study abroad program in Beijing, Glenister will resume his studies at the U.S. Military Academy, where he is scheduled to graduate with the Class of 2011. He is also hoping to swim for American Samoa's Olympics Team in the future.

Congratulations Stewart! American Samoa is proud of you.

Aumua Amata's Guam Jobs Relief Initiative temporarily on hold
By Aumua Amata
Reprinted from Samoa News reporters@samoanews.com

The timetable for 8,000 U.S. Marines to be relocated from Okinawa to Guam has been temporarily put on hold and it therefore impacts the processing of military-related construction jobs on Guam for which hundreds of local Samoans have made application.

The Prime Minister of Japan has indicated he needs a �few more months� to review the agreement made by the U.S. and the previous Japanese administration. However, if he decides to make changes, they would have to be further reviewed by the U.S. government and that process could take a year or more.

For the past several months, I have worked closely with Professional Personnel International, Inc., (PPI) a company that is looking to provide high standards workforce housing and full-service care and logistics to successful contractors who receive project awards from the Department of Defense.

Some contractors who have submitted their statements of qualifications to the U.S. DoD via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFACENGCOMM) include PPI as the workforce housing and full-service care provider.

The congressional legislation authorizing and appropriating the military construction was recently signed into law by President Obama. I successfully convinced PPI that Samoans and other workers coming from tropical islands are ideal because their adjustment to island living �is already built in� and would be much easier than for workers and families coming from Mainland locales.

In May, when Samoa Packing announced it was closing its doors in September, I made contact with PPI to find out whether the company could accommodate the displaced cannery workers and their families with no employment prospects on the horizon. I am working with businessman David J. Sablan a PPI official on Guam and Houston based PPI Vice President Darrell Ferguson who responded that they could help American Samoa.

In analyzing the job skills of each displaced worker, I discovered while processing their paperwork that many tuna cannery workers already had learned other skills before they became trained fish cleaners.

Many already were carpenters, electricians, welders, painters, etc. but they learned to become commercial fish cleaners out of necessity because it was a steady paying job that would help to feed their families. Since then, PPI and I have worked to establish the necessary processes in American Samoa to create bright futures for displaced workers and the AS Department of Human Resources has been kept fully apprised of all developments in the Guam project.

In the meantime, the good news is that FEMA and U.S. Dept. of Labor have given ASG grants to enable our people to work and hone their skills to help them get good jobs in Guam a little later.

I will continue to update our people on developments regarding the military transfer as it affects exciting job prospects for our local people. It is expected that although the move has been put on hold, it will take place.

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