Photo By Sgt. Carson Gramley | U.S. Marine Maj. Brandon Stibb, left, a training team leader, and U.S. Army Spc. Ahmed...... read more read more
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AL ASAD, Iraq - Born in Italy and raised in Iraq, U.S. Army Spc. Ahmed Totti, an intelligence linguist with Task Force Al Asad, didn’t expect to eventually become a U.S. citizen and a U.S. service member.
After losing several family members to the violence and fighting in the Baghdad area in the early 2000s, he did not have an easy life.
After graduating college in 2008, he and his brother began working with U.S. service members in Iraq as translators and cultural advisers. During this time Totti befriended several of the U.S. Marines and soldiers.
He didn’t realize how big of an impact some of the service members would have on his life.
U.S. Marine Maj. Brandon Stibb, a training team leader with Task Force Al Asad, says he remembers working with Totti years ago and still considers him a friend. “He used to be in the team I was with back when I was an interpreter,” said Totti. “I feel like it’s a really small world.”
Totti has clear memories of working with Stibb in 2008-2009. Stibb was a captain then, and very motivating and energetic according to Totti. He remembered Stibb’s personality, noting how he would often insist on being the turret gunner anytime they went out on a mission.
Stibb’s leadership by example and never ending enthusiasm taught him a lot that has stuck with him through the years according to Totti. He said Stibb’s motivation, coupled with the pride he has in what he does, demonstrates how much of a positive influence you can have on the Marines or soldiers following you.
“I learned that no matter what situation you’re going to be in, no matter if it’s going to be bad or dangerous… we have to try to make the best out of it,” said Totti.
Totti and Stibb maintained little contact over the years, but would eventually run into one another again.
Under the advice of his family and some service members he worked with, Totti left his mother and brother behind and moved to the U.S. in January 2012.
Arriving in America, Totti stayed with the family of a Marine he had met in Iraq. He described how they instantly accepted him as family and made a huge impact on his life in a few short years.
Wanting more out of his new life, and to make his new family proud of him, Totti enlisted in the Army in early 2014 as an intelligence linguist, doing work similar to his college days assisting U.S. forces with translation.
“I joined the Army because I wanted them to be proud of me,” said Totti. “I didn’t imagine I’d be coming back here.”
When Totti deployed back to his home country of Iraq as part of Task Force Al Asad, he was surprised when he came across a very familiar face.
“We were in the chow hall and I was sitting and talking with some of the Danish soldiers and he [Totti] walked over and I was thinking he looked very familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly,” said Stibb. “He came over to me and said ‘Captain Stibb?’
Stibb said he’s glad to see Totti again and is impressed with the progress he has made over the years.
“That’s got to be really hard to do, leaving all your friends and family behind and going to another country on the other side of the world,” said Stibb.
Stibb said he also learned a few things from Totti after seeing his transition from Iraq to the United States and the Army.
“I’d say [I learned] bravery; in the sense of really taking a chance and going after his dream,” said Stibb.
“It’s pretty cool now to see him as a U.S. soldier,” said Stibb. “He always talked about it. It’s what he wanted to do. He followed his dream and here he is; he’s the success story and I’m proud of him for it.”
Stibb said Totti makes a great soldier and has a lot of important knowledge and skills to contribute to mission accomplishment with Task Force Al Asad.
“He uses his nationality background to make sure that us trainers say the right things at the right time and don’t say certain things; and really advises us on the best ways to communicate with our counterparts,” said Stibb. “What better person to have than somebody who’s actually from Iraq and a U.S. service member.”
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.17.2015 03:18 |
| Story ID: | 160310 |
| Location: | AL ASAD AIRBASE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 157 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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