Vice
President Elias Camsek Chin is a career military
man with 23 years of distinguished service achieving the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army before retiring.
During his tour of duty, he was an Army officer serving
in the Armor Corps and Aviation Corps, where he spent
over 20 years as a U.S. Army combat aviator. Lieutenant
Colonel Chin is rated in both fixed wing aircrafts and
rotor wing (helicopter) aircrafts with over 3,000 flight
hours.
Elias
Camsek Chin was born on the island of Peleliu in Palau
on October 10, 1949, to Taktai Chin and Takeko Kuratomi
Chin. As a boy, his fondness for ten-gallon hats and cowboy
boots earned him the nickname "Cowboy." Passionate
about baseball, but always the tiniest kid when picking
teams for neighborhood games, Cowboy was, sadly, always
picked last.
Camsek
attended Farrington High School in Honolulu , Hawaii where
he spent his free time surfing and fishing. Always a talented
spear fisherman, he consistently drew envious stares from
Waikiki locals admiring his plentiful catch at the end
of a fishing day.
While
attending University of Hawaii , Camsek met Miriam Rudimch.
Camsek learned that Miriam was a tennis player and, in
an attempt to impress Ms. Rudimch, decided to take on
the sport (even though he initially found the sport to
be boring and preferred to spend his days surfing Hawaii
's famous breaks). This time, however, Cowboy was picked
first: Miriam Rudimch and Camsek Chin married on May 21,
1977 .
Elias
Camsek Chin attended the Electronic Institute of Hawaii,
graduating with an AA degree in Electronics Engineering
Technology. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology
from the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he also completed
the Reserve Officer Training Corps Curriculum and Education
course of Study. In 1975 Second Lieutenant Chin was commissioned
in the Armor Corps of the U.S. Army. He later branch transferred
to Aviation Corps and spent over 20 years as a U.S. Army
combat aviator.
Lieutenant
Colonel Chin is a graduate of the Armor Officer Basic
and Advanced Course, United States Army Flight School
, Air Ground Operations School , the United States Army
Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War
College with emphasis on International Relations. He is
also a graduate of U.S. Army Airborne School, U.S. Army
Ranger School, U.S. Army Motor Officer School , and the
U.S. Army Computer School.
His
awards and decorations include the Legion of Merits, the
Meritorious Service Medal with 2 nd Oak Leaf Cluster,
the Army Commendation Medal with 2 nd Oak Leaf Cluster,
the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the
National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas
Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Army Master Aviator Badge,
and the Ranger Tab.
Upon
Lieutenant Colonel Chin's retirement from the U.S. Army
in 1997, President Kuniwo Nakamura nominated him to the
position of Minister of Justice. The Fifth Olbiil Era
Kelulau unanimously approved.
During
his three-year tenure from 1997 to 2000, Minister Chin
initiated and completed a number of projects for the Ministry
and the community of Palau . He designed and built the
three-story BRT Building that now houses the Ministry
of Justice Office and the Bureau of Public Safety Administration,
using his own Ministry's operating funds and utilizing
prisoners as construction workers to minimize costs.
Through
an arrangement with Chief Rengulbai and the Governor of
Aimeliik, Minister Chin turned a plot of land in Nekken
into a successful Sublek Farm run by prisoners. Harvests
of vegetables, fruit and root crops and meat from the
piggery and poultry farm supplemented the prison menus.
And the prisoners learned valuable lessons and skills
for the future. Produce from the farm was also shared
with Aimeliik Elementary School and the national hospital.
