Photo By Cpl. Antwain Graham | Capt. Parima In traveled with service members from 3rd Medical Battalion, Combat...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan - Parima In was very young when he was taken from his home in Battanbang, Cambodia, and forced into a life of oppression.
Thirty-five years later, In, now a Marine Corps captain, finally had the chance to return home and help the people of his nation.
In traveled with service members from 3rd Medical Battalion, Combat Logistics Group 35, 3rd Marine Logistic Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, to assist with the Cambodia Interoperability Program 2010, an annual joint service medical and dental civic action project to provide help to Cambodians.
He contributed as a translator and guide for the service members.
“Captain In was an integral part of this mission,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin Foster, lead petty officer with 3rd Medical Bn. “He worked closely with the Cambodian military, built a strong rapport with the local population and was able to communicate to the masses which helped crowd control. This mission wouldn’t have functioned as smoothly without him.”
He first got word about CIP 2010 from Petty Officer 2nd Class Bunthoeun Ham personnel specialist with the Personnel Support Detachment, Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd MLG, who also served as a translator for the mission.
“When I told him about the trip, I could tell he was really excited,” Ham said. “He would call me often just to make sure the deployment was still happening.”
In said being home and seeing his people struggling made him think of his life as a child.
He grew up in the Khmer Rouge period, a radical social reform process that reigned in Cambodia in the 1970s.
The Khmer Rouge period was aimed at creating a purely communist society. The city-dwellers were deported to the countryside, where they were mixed with the local population and subjected to forced labor.
In was placed in a boys’ camp where he endured hard labor during his childhood.
“They made us build dams, plant rice and carry dirt every day,” In said. “We were treated like slaves, and we didn’t have a choice. You either worked or you were killed.”
In’s parents were also placed in work camps nearby, so he saw them only when they passed by the camp during the work day.
“My father was forced to be a fisherman, so sometimes when he could, he would bring me food to ensure I was eating. That would be the only chance we had to be together for a long time,” he said.
This was the only life In knew until new doors opened for him and his family.
During the invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam in 1979, soldiers protecting the Thai and Cambodian border got into a fire fight with members of the Khmer Rouge, In said.
During the fight, people from the camps, including In and his family, were bused across the Thai border to freedom.
Once in Thailand, they requested to have a sponsor in order to start the emigration process to the United States, In said.
“We were sponsored by a church in the states,” In said. “I was excited and yet a little nervous about going to the U.S.”
In and his family resided in the Philippines for a year until their immigration package was finalized.
They moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1982. In said the move was a big culture shock for him.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I always thought that everyone in the states was rich and wore suits.”
Adjusting wasn’t too rough for him, although learning the language was tough, In said. It took him years before he could fluently carry on a conversation in English, he added.
In said his life was normal during the years his family lived in Brooklyn.
When he was a teenager, he saw ‘Sands of Iwo Jima’, a film about the Marine Corps and the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
“When I saw that movie, I was sure I wanted to be a Marine,” In said. “Hearing the Marines hymn gave me chills. I felt like it was my calling.”
In joined the Delayed Entry Program during his senior year in high school and went to boot camp after graduating in 1992.
He was enlisted for 12 years before being selected for Warrant Officer in 2004. Then in 2009, he submitted his package and was selected for Limited Duty Officer as a captain.
In is currently the company commander of Food Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd MLG.
“In the two years I’ve worked with him, Captain In has been a dedicated hard worker who really takes care of his Marines,” said Gunnery Sgt. Darian R. Davis, Food Service Company gunnery sergeant.
He has served in the Marine Corps for nearly 18 years and said this mission is the greatest thing he has done in his entire career.
“It is one thing to help someone who is poor, but when that person is someone from your home, it means so much more,” In said.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2010 01:32 |
| Story ID: | 52201 |
| Location: | KAMPONG CHINNANG PROVINCE, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 79 |
This work, Marine, former refugee returns to assist MEDCAP, by Cpl Antwain Graham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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