WEBVTT

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- My story began as a little boy.

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I was growing up in Ghana.

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The main source of food is from agriculture.

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Which is dependent on rainfall.

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And I remember there was a time,

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when there was hardly any rainfall at all.

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So that means there were no crops,

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and food was very very hard to come by.

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Food was very hard to come by,

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and I remember the only food we had at home

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was, had the American flag on it.

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And so, I really fell in love with the country

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and I was wondering what country was this

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that was feeding me, you know.

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When I first saw the airplane, I thought

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it was the best thing ever that was created.

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I was so intrigued by it.

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I was wondering what made such a big big machine fly.

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I was always wondering who were those in front

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of that huge machine that made it work.

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When we moved to where there was an airport,

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I would usually just walk the couple miles

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to the airport when there was no school.

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I would sit there all day watch airplanes go and come.

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Imagine how it would be like.

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And there I knew that I wanted to be around airplanes.

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I wanted to be a pilot.

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In Ghana there's a huge huge fund base

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for the United States of America.

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And I mean, it's a huge beacon of hope.

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And I knew, for my dream to be realized,

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I had to come to this country.

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And that's how I ended up here, with a lot of hard work

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and preparation I was able to get into the States,

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and go to school.

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I went to Ohio State University.

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I graduated with my bachelors in aviation management

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and a minor in international studies.

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After I graduated and got a job,

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and I really got into my flight training

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and got my pilot's license, I was

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looking for ways to give back.

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I knew but for this country, I wouldn't have achieved

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where I am right now.

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I thought service to this country was the ultimate way

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of giving back and that's how my journey began

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into joining the 121st airforce wing.

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My status did not allow me to join.

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And so I had to become a citizen.

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The day that I got my citizenship was a very very very

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important day in my life I will always remember it.

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Looking back at it, I still get goosebumps.

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Because I never ever thought,

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or imagined, that I could come that far,

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from a different country and be able

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to become a citizen of this great nation.

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So that...

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I'm lost for words, how to even express myself.

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But I just feel the emotions, but,

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I think it's, to be a citizen of the greatest nation

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on this planet, it's, something to write home about.

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I've deployed once to the Middle East.

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For me personally I thought that was the ipitomy of

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my service, it really came together what I trained for.

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And what this country stands for.

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And I was able to see firsthand

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what the nation was doing and combating terrorism.

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So I was really proud and humbled,

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and really happy to be part of that.

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My favorite things about America,

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I think, what the country stands for.

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It's a beacon of hope.

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It's a country of opportunities,

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and a country that gives chances.

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That's always been my favorite.