Subscribe
FORT STEWART, Ga. - Spc. Daniel Dragomiresco went to the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, Calif., by himself, Jan. 8, 2010. He wasn't there to see the L.A. Lakers, although they are his favorite team. Alone in a sea of more than 1,000 people, he flowed with the excited crowd into the arena and prepared himself for a presentation far more significant than any basketball game.
In that instant his life, which had already changed forever, became a permanent reality. He raised his right hand and began to recite the Oath of Allegiance, that he had spent almost a year studying.
"I hereby declare, on oath … that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America …"
The road to this day had been long, stressful, and at times unsure for Dragomiresco. As he speaks, his voice is laced with the thick accent from his home country of Romania, and he admits that as a boy, he never believed that one-day he would be fluently speaking English.
"I studied it in school, but I wasn’t very interested," he said. "I thought, 'Why do I need English? I will never go to another country [besides Romania]'."
But as he grew older, the corruption in the governmental system made it almost impossible to get a good job. After spending four years at the university and receiving an engineering degree, Dragomiresco found himself working for low salaries in jobs not even related to his field.
So Dragomiresco had to take a hard look at his options and decide what direction he wanted his future to go. America began sounding better and better.
"People have a very different opinion of America in other countries," he explained. "They think it is all fun and easy, you don’t have to work too much and you get paid a lot."
Annually, the United States conducts a Diversity Immigrant Visa program, more commonly called the "Green Card Lottery," to allow immigrants a chance at a permanent resident visa.
"I wanted a better life, so I sent in my information and then I waited," he explained.
Meanwhile, he was forced to join the Romanian army.
"At the time, it was mandatory you had to serve," he said. "Six months if you had been to the university, and one year if not."
He spent his contract pulling guard shifts on an ammunition storage facility- four hours on and four hours off, for four months.
When things seemed like they couldn't get much worse, he got incredible news.
"I won a visa through the lottery," he said. "I was so happy I wanted to leave right away, but I had to wait until I finished my service."
A year and four months after his service ended, the visa paperwork was finally complete, and in 2004 he immigrated to the United States.
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2012 06:52 |
| Story ID: | 88547 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Winning the American lottery, by SGT Emily Knitter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
