Photo By Staff Sgt. Armando Limon | Sgt. A proudly displays the 25th Infantry Division patch on his left sleeve at...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Most Americans who join the Army normally don’t have a difficult time entering the service, nor come from war-torn countries.
A noncommissioned officer stationed, here, referred to in this story as “Sgt. A” to protect his family from insurgents back home, is one such American.
“I was born and raised in Iraq,” Sgt. A said. “When I was in Iraq, I wanted to be in the military.”
That didn’t happen for him because of the political situation in his native country when he was a young man.
“I always had the dream to join the military, but you know the situation in Iraq when Saddam was in power,” he said. “I couldn’t join the Iraqi military because you had to join the Ba’ath party. My father and family were against it.”
During Saddam Hussein’s rule, politics and the military were entwined as one, making joining the Iraqi army difficult for those who opposed his regime.
With the fall of the Ba’ath party and Hussein, Sgt. A worked for the Force Protection Services in Iraq, 2005-2006, placing his own family in danger.
“In 2006, because of the sectarian violence in Iraq, everyone, especially the security personnel, were targeted because of their affiliation,” he said. “The militia or Al-Qaeda thought we were betraying our country by supporting coalition forces in their mission to establish democracy and freedom. So, because of that reason, my family and I became targets.”
And targets they became during the sectarian violence.
“I left for Cairo, Egypt, as a refugee, and later worked for the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service within the State Department in 2006. Unfortunately, in Iraq, if the terrorists cannot get you, they will go after your family, and they went after mine. They shot my house twice in the middle of the night. The third time they planted a car bomb, and I lost my brother-in-law in the incident.”
He was finally granted a visa after the tragedy and achieved a lifelong dream.
“When I immigrated to the United States, I joined the military,” he said proudly. “It was something that I wanted to do, and I love it.”
To make his dream come true, Sgt. A went about studying for the aptitude test to determine his qualification for enlistment.
“I bought a study guide and studied with a couple of friends who were also interested in joining the military,” he said. “I was the only one who joined the military, though.”
One of the central challenges for him entering the military was proof of his birth for the recruiters.
“I wasn’t given a birth certificate like you do in the U.S.,” he said. “You are given an identification card back in Iraq.”
Another issue for him was proving his educational background.
“I had a degree in chemistry from the University of Baghdad,” he said. “It took four to five months for an Iraqi government agency to send me a copy of my transcripts and degree diploma.”
Sgt. A enlisted at the rank of specialist, January 2013, and shipped out to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and found that life during basic training wasn’t terribly hard when he recalled life growing up in 1990’s Iraq under U.N. sanctions.
“The only thing hard was living in an open bay,” he said.
With English not being his first language, he had to go through a bit of a language barrier, but it wasn’t a difficult one to overcome with the help of one of his former drill sergeants.
“He surprised me with his Iraqi Arabic dialect,” he said. “He did two or three trips in Iraq. He wasn’t perfect, but he helped me get through basic training.”
Also supporting him during basic – and now – was his family residing in the U.S. and back in Iraq.
“The good thing is, I have a very loving family that has supported me since day one,” he said. “They always help me and push me through all difficulties.”
Sgt. A’s own future plans consist of achieving higher educational goals and positions in the Army.
“I want to keep serving my country in the Army by being in the Reserves, so I can focus on my master’s degree in international relations,” he said. “I want to go to Officer Candidate School.
“I love the Army and I love this country,” he added.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2015 15:30 |
| Story ID: | 176878 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘Bronco’ shares journey from Iraqi civilian to US Soldier, by SSG Armando Limon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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