Photo By Cpl. Austin Molla | Om Patel, a recruit with India Co, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training...... read more read more
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“હું બધું છોડીને અમેરિકા આવ્યો. Huṁ badhuṁ chōḍīnē Amērikā āvyō. I left everything and came to America,” said Harsh Amin.
On July 10, 2023, after speaking with a Marine Corps recruiter, Staff Sgt. Charles Cusic, cousins Harsh Amin and Om Patel checked into the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Detroit to embark on their second-most life-changing experience; Marine Corps recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. In three months they will have earned the title United States Marines. This great achievement is just a beginning step in their self-proclaimed stepping stone to becoming American entrepreneurs.
But the cousins’ journey did not start at MEPS, it started when they were much younger. Their most life-changing experience brought them on a journey across the ocean. They and their families, like many others, sought out the American dream.
Eleven years ago, Amin and his family loaded all of the belongings they could carry onto a plane headed for the United States of America. They left behind family, friends, comfortable jobs, school, and the life they’d always known.
“My family was very well off back in India,” said Amin, discussing his family’s journey to America. “We struggled financially in America at first, but my parents wanted me to have the best education.”
Overcoming the language barrier was one of the hardest thing for Amin. He already spoke two languages, Gujarati and Hindi, but for him, English was tough to learn. While attending third grade during his first year in America, he listened and observed and eventually picked up the language.
Another change Amin noticed was the difference in the educational system and the way the classrooms are ran in America. He explained how Indian classroom are ran more strictly, similar to early 1950’s classrooms, with strict discipline and harsh punishment measures.
Four years after Amin arrived, his cousin, Harsh Patel, and his cousin’s family embarked on the same journey, emigrating from India to the United States. He experienced some of the same struggles with the language barrier and cultural differences as his cousin. However, he had Amin to help him through the transition.
“Everything was new and different. Cars. People. School,” Patel explained. “Harsh taught me most of the English I know. He made coming to America a bit easier.”
Following high school graduation, the cousins sought a new challenge. They were seeking discipline, personal growth and to continue learning. They determined the Marine Corps would provide them with the benefits and challenges they were independently seeking. On April 24, 2023, Patel raised his right handed and took the first step to become a Marine. On May 19, Amin did the same.
“Patel decided to join the Marines first,” said Amin. “He talked to me about it, and I knew it’d be a good opportunity to get better.”
They enlisted to serve in the Marine Corps reserves as network administrators, operating and maintaining local and wide-area networks to enable command and control. Following recruit training graduation, Patel and Amin said they are planning to attend college to study business.
| Date Taken: | 07.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2023 08:23 |
| Story ID: | 449523 |
| Location: | DETROIT, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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