When President Bush presided at a rally yesterday to mark the consolidation of more than 20 federal agencies into the new Department of Homeland Security, standing behind him and next to Secretary Tom Ridge was former Hawaii resident Henry "Kalei" Chang. Ex-islander flanks Bush
at ceremony for
new departmentBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comAnd when Bush turned around to shake hands with employees of the new Department of Homeland Security, Chang's was the first hand he shook.
"It was incredible, surreal, almost like a dream," Chang said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Bush posed next to new employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security yesterday at the Ronald Reagan office building in Washington, D.C. Former Hawaii resident Henry Chang, far left, stood in the front row during the rally.
Chang, 35, a 1985 Mid-Pacific Institute graduate from Kahaluu, is a border patrol agent for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Based in Laredo, Texas, he was among about 80 federal employees on stage with Bush representing their agencies.
The new Cabinet-level department, which incorporates the INS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Customs Service, becomes fully operational today.
Chang was among eight members of the Immigration Service honor guard in Washington this week taking part in a ceremonies to decommission the service's flag and to commission the Homeland Security banner. He said he was informed of his inclusion in yesterday's rally just the day before.
"What an opportunity. It was a last-minute thing," he said.
Chang's duties are split between being a border patrol agent in Laredo, a job he started in 1999, and traveling around the country as a member of the Immigration Service honor guard.
As a border patrol agent, Chang's responsibilities include seizing smuggled drugs and preventing aliens from entering the country illegally. Most of the functions the honor guard is assigned are funerals.
"It's a duty, an honor, giving honor to the fallen who have served the country," he said.
Being a member of the honor guard also earns him seniority points for promotion and reassignment. Chang hopes his job will bring him back home, but it would have to be in a different role: The Immigration Service has no border patrol in Hawaii.
United States Department of Homeland Security
