OHIO: Amid rising incident of rising hate crimes in the United States, a video of an Asian-American former military veteran showing his battle scars and asking if this was enough proof of his "patriotism" in a town hall meeting in Ohio has gone viral on the social media.
69-year-old Lee Wong, who has served the US military for nearly 20 years, has been receiving arm applauds from all over the world for making a bold statement and raising the problem of racial discrimination being faced by Asian-Americans recently. It may be recalled that six Asian women were killed in Atlanta alongside two other victims in rising hate crimes last week.
In the United States, thousands of Asian-Americans have reported violent attacks or hate crimes in recent months, often linked to rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19.
Wong, who is an elected official in West Chester, Ohio, unbutton his shirt to show his battle scars and asked, "I'm going to show you what questions about patriotism look like."
He did this while addressing a meeting about the racism he has faced as an Asian person. According to the viral video, Wong stood up and lifted his vest, showing large scars on his chest to colleagues in the hall.
"Here is my proof. This is sustained in my service in the US military. Is this patriot enough?" he asked.
During his interaction with the gathering there, he regretted that people have questioned his loyalty to the US and suggested he did not "look American enough".
Wong had moved to the US in the late 1960s. He served the US Army for nearly 20 years and is now chair of the West Chester board of trustees after first being elected in 2005.
In an interview with Fox News, he had revealed that he had been physically attacked as well as verbally abused.
