Photo By Staff Sgt. Amanda Zuniga | Tech. Sgt. Ioan Gaitan, 607th Materiel Maintenance Squadron, noncommissioned officer...... read more read more
South Korea - Ioan Gaitan, a Romanian computer engineering college student, had aspirations of living the American dream. One day he decided to do something about it. He entered the U.S. Department of State's Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, more commonly known as the visa lottery.
As the name suggests, there's an element of chance and luck involved in the program, which is open to people from around the globe each year. The program is run on a fiscal year calendar, and about 50,000 diversity visas are made available each year to selectees, who are chosen randomly by computer. Individuals subsequently selected for a visa are given an opportunity to live, work and study in the United States.
"This has always been my dream, since I've been a kid," he said. "I remember scribbling the United States flag on my desk."
Gaitan filled out the registration packet and applied. After a six-month wait, Gaitan was disappointed to learn that he was not selected. A year passed, he didn't reapply, but then he decided to give it another try.
"It's like a ticket," Gaitan said. "It's good to apply rather than live with the regret of never trying."
According to the DoS website, there were over 5.5 million other people also trying that year with 50,000 coming from Romania alone, but 2007 was Gaitan's lucky year. He was selected!
"There is a very slim chance of being selected; it's more likely to be selected to win an actual lottery," said Gaitan. "But I got a letter in the mail saying I was one of the 55,000 selected, that it did not guarantee me a visa but I should make the proper arrangements to go to the embassy."
Gaitan completed the additional requirements, went to the embassy to be interviewed and, in about a half an hour, his life was changed. Gaitan was handed a diversity visa. In that moment, he couldn't focus on what he'd be leaving behind; he had to consider his future.
"I had to leave behind ... everything that I loved," he said. "But I was not going to let this slip through my fingers. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill my dreams."
Gaitan immigrated to America with money he had saved and was given by his parents, and the promise from a neighbor currently living in America to help him get on his feet. He tried civilian work, but he couldn't find the right fit. He wanted to belong somewhere he felt like family, so he set his sights on the military. Within about six weeks of making America his new home, Gaitan was in Air Force Basic Military Training.
Even though he was having trouble understanding everything being said around him, Gaitan prevailed.
"I couldn't understand the slang, and I had to work really hard but I ended up being honor grad," he said. "I think the training instructor saw my effort and that I was ready and willing to go the extra mile. I did the proper hospital corners, had my uniform ready and scored well on the tests."
Gaitan didn't have a guaranteed job before BMT, but left ready to pursue civil engineering.
"It wasn't computer engineering, but it was still good," he said.
Nine years later, Gaitan is a technical sergeant with a stellar Air Force career. He earned the title of Distinguished Honor Graduate at his technical training school, was the John L. Levitow award winner at Airman Leadership School and has garnered countless yearly and quarterly awards. He completed his computer engineering degree, is close to completing his graduate degree and, this summer, he'll be starting the next chapter of his career. Gaitan was recently selected for Officer Training School.
"This is what I like about the Air Force, equal opportunity," he said. "[The Air Force] allows people to raise themselves to their highest level of potential. I came to live the American dream, and this is the epitome of living the American dream."
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2016 19:33 |
| Story ID: | 187338 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 338 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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