Page 13 - MidWeek - Feb 23, 2022

FEBRUARY 23, 2022 MIDWEEK 13
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Vares-Lum: A Builder Of Bridges, Relationships
FROM PAGE 12
(Above left) Suzanne Vares-Lum with her late father, Sgt. 1st Class Adelino Conrad Vares, who inspired her to join the military. (Above right) Spending time with husband Courtney and daughters Diana and Connie at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. PHOTOS COURTESY SUZANNE VARES-LUM
leadership positions, never paying much attention to the barking dogs. She credits much of her success to the bridges she built along the way, perhaps foreshadowing the duties she would under- take decades later.
cultural boxes that we want to put people in throughout the region,” she continues. “If we understand more, then maybe we’ll think of the possibilities rather than the limitations. I feel like hav- ing those relationships with amazing people that I’ve got to work with over the years helped me to realize that I don’t need to limit myself in
to protect and preserve our interests, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice,” says Vares-Lum. “The courage to support one another has al- ways impacted me.”
... my first assignment was as a fire support intelligence officer for the 3rd Infantry Division Artillery unit. There were very few females back then,” she explains. “In the ’ 80s-’ 90s, there were many restrictions on women in terms of what kind of roles we could take. I worked as one of the few female officers in that unit, but it taught me a lot.”
“I had to work through un- derstanding that I had some- thing to contribute,” she says. “I built a network of friends, many of them male, that en- couraged me. I had mentors that I sought out who were willing to see beyond the exterior or how I was born. They were able to see that I had something to offer and to help better the organization.
these boxes.”
n the years following, she came back to her island home to join the Hawai‘i National Guard, where
She joined the Army Re- serves, UH’s ROTC program and later commissioned as a second lieutenant, entering active duty as a military in- telligence officer. Her first of many overseas assignments was to Germany during the Cold War.
“I think building rela- tionships is key, which re- ally brings me back to the (East-West) Center, right? By building relationships, you can have the courage to overcome what people think and the boxes that people want to put you in, or even
she was a part of the 29th In- fantry Brigade. In 2004, the unit was mobilized for Oper- ation Iraqi Freedom 3 — the first time it was called upon for combat since Vietnam.
“It was East and West Ger- many when I was there and
Vares-Lum continued to advance — and by doing so, break barriers — and even- tually worked her way into
Thinking back on her time in the Middle East, Va- res-Lum says, “In terms of a number, there were dozens of attacks a day across Iraq, and
SEE PAGE 14