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The 137th Special Operations Wing reflects the society of both the nation and that state that it serves. As Airmen, members directly serve the Oklahoma Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force as part of Air Force Special Operations Command. Members swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, regardless of their citizenship.
During the 2015 fiscal year, 730,259 people naturalized in the U.S, meaning foreign citizens or nationals met all of the requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act, obtained their U.S. citizenship and can “enjoy nearly all of the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Within the 137 SOW, many Airmen proudly serve and are a part of those naturalization numbers.
“Becoming a U.S. citizen is the greatest thing I’ve done so far,” said Airman 1st Class Joseph Mwangi from the 137th Special Operations Force Support Squadron. Mwangi immigrated to the U.S. from Kenya through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, or diversity visa lottery. “Back home, my family is very proud of me, because, there, America is like the eagle of the world. Being a part of that, especially in uniform, is something I’m really proud of.”
For Mwangi, the most immediate difference between Kenya and Oklahoma was the weather. He boarded the plane in the full sun and heat of Kenya and stepped out into the snow and sleet of Oklahoma, something he had never experienced before and had only seen in movies.
Language also became a significant barrier.
Staff Sgt. Olga Khomutova, also from the 137 SOFSS, came to the U.S. with her mom and little sister almost 15 years ago. She was 11 years old and her little sister was only two months old when they began the long journey from Russia to Oklahoma in a trip that she dubbed “a nightmare.”
“You know the screaming baby on flights?” she asked. “We were the people with the screaming baby.”
As soon as they entered the loud, bustling Chicago O’hare International Airport, Khomutova realized that the voices swirling around them sounded like jibberish, making the adjustment to American life one step harder.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the median lawful permanent residency time for naturalization recipients before becoming citizens in fiscal years 2012 to 2015 was seven years. This status, commonly known as having a green card, allows residents to permanently live and work in the U.S., own property, attend public schools and colleges, join the U.S. Armed Forces and apply to become a citizen.
“It takes a while,” said Master Sgt. Arlene Nilkumhang, 137 SOW Command Secretary, whose mom is from the Philippines and dad is from Thailand. “It’s a long process.”
The process includes a lengthy 38-page application; fees; fingerprints; interviews; an English reading, writing and speech test; and a civics test.
Naturalizing through military service can ease the costs associated with citizenship, by reducing or eliminating costs, and, in some cases, removing physical residency and physical presence requirements that can arise due to deployments.
For Khomutova’s mother who married a U.S. citizen, her citizenship still cost 800 dollars. Through the military, Khomutova’s citizenship fees were waived and she received money for an education.
“I joined for school and the money, but I stayed because I want the opportunity to give back to other Airmen the leadership and guidance I have received,” said Khomutova, who just reenlisted for four additional years after her first enlistment of six years in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. “I have long term plans in the military.”
With the money earned through her service, she’s now working as a dental hygienist and hopes to commission as an officer.
For others, the wait-time for citizenship can mean time away from family and even their own children.
Master Sgt. Eden Woznick, 137th Human Resources office manager, was born a U.S. citizen in Hawaii while her dad, from the Philippines, was working on a pineapple farm on a work visa. Then, the family moved back to the Philippines, including Master Sgt. Woznick.
After struggling to find opportunity in the Philippines with one son, Woznick decided to move to the U.S. As the only native-born citizen, her plan was to sponsor her family to become U.S. citizens in order to provide them with better lives and opportunities for growth.
However, as the sole provider of income for her family – composed of her parents, son and three siblings not yet in the U.S. – Woznick needed a stable source of income, which she found by enlisting in the active-duty Air Force. Her income funded their immigration, which took a year.
“I made sacrifices,” said Woznick. “I left my child with my parents in the Philippines for a year while I was here, and then they lived in California until I could bring them here to Oklahoma at Tinker Air Force Base, where I was stationed at the time. It could have been a different route for them. Here in America we are lucky – very lucky.”
Though the military didn’t have a direct impact on the citizenship process for her or her family, it provided the stability that helped support the entire family of eight.
“I started with zero – nothing,” said Woznick. “I had to save the money first. Without the military and the money to petition for them, it wouldn’t have happened so quickly. I was actually making money here that I wouldn’t have in the Philippines.”
For some 137th Airmen, the hardships of immigration were something experienced by their parents. However as the children of naturalized citizens, they appreciate the benefits and opportunities that rose from those challenges.
“My life is what it is today because of my dad’s decision to join the military,” said Senior Master Sgt. Sergio Factuar, 137 SOW first sergeant and one of eight siblings whose dad was from the Philippines. “He joined to become a U.S. citizen to create a better life for us.”
Nilkumhang, who was the oldest of the first generation of native-born U.S. citizens in her family, visited the Philippines with her mother when she was little and remembered that something as small as a shower can be a symbol for how far her family has come.
“We walked outside the house, and there was, no joke, a kiddie pool in the front yard,” she recalled. “That’s where we took a shower – in public where people were walking down the street – and I remember being so ashamed. I realized how privileged I was in the United States. People just don’t understand how differently third-world countries have it.”
The Guard has served as a culturally rich and ideally diverse family unit for many Guardsmen, oftentimes providing extra support for their biological families.
“I have a strong bond with my friends here on base,” Master Sgt. Trinh Mercer, 137th Customer Service noncommissioned officer who came to the U.S. as a small child from Saigon, Vietnam just before the city fell during the Vietnam War. “They’re my family, and I’d do anything for them. The support you have here is just awesome and that never goes away. It lasts a lifetime – even my girls see that.”
For Factuar, the bond in the 137 SOW is another layer of pride on top of the pride he already feels for his father.
“I wanted to serve my country, to serve my dad and to serve my family,” said Factuar. “To be a part of this base is like my own family anyway. I’m proud of everyone. I feel very fortunate and privileged.”
The 137 SOW reflects the families in the communities they live and work in every day. Airmen have broken through obstacles and challenges from different countries, circumstances and backgrounds to do one mission.
“We have one thing in common, and it’s this uniform,” said Senior Master Sgt. Elaine LaNou, 137th Base Training Superintendent who came from Great Britain in 1983 during her senior year with her family for her dad’s job and gained citizenship through the active-duty U.S Air Force. “Everyone has a story. Everybody is blended. Everybody is from somewhere – towns and countries you’ve never heard of – and it’s so good.”
The uniform oftentimes allows Airmen, native-born citizens or not, to give back to the nation that has given them the opportunity to serve.
“It feels like I’m really doing something,” said Airman 1st Class Samuel Sandoval from 285th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron, who came to the U.S. from Mexico 11 years ago. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment that I can’t get from any other job. You know whatever we do is going to have global effects.”
Story was originally published on page 16 of the June 2017 issue of the "Air Observer." It may also be found at https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/36851.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2017 11:41 |
| Story ID: | 258246 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Service before citizenship, by TSgt Kasey Phipps, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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