Face of Defense: Reserve Officer Recalls Journey to Freedom

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012 – Air Force Col. Josie Fernandez credits providence as much as persistence for her journey from Cuban refugee to the duel-hatted role she has today with the Air Force Reserve and the National Park Service.

Fernandez attended school in the rural town of Agua Dulce, near Havana, close to the national baseball stadium and even closer to the Plaza de la Revolucion, where, to this day, she said Fidel Castro still holds his “infernal rallies.”

“I dreamed about living in freedom,” said Fernandez, currently working as a public affairs officer for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We were poor as church mice, but nothing was taken away from us, other than the ability to pursue our dreams while living in Cuba.”

As Castro’s decades-long dictatorship seemed to tighten its grip on its nation’s citizens, she said, President Lyndon B. Johnson developed Freedom Flights, a program that enabled more than 250,000 Cubans to come to the United States between 1965 and 1973.

Fernandez said her parents jumped at the chance to participate in a program that facilitated U.S. access and citizenship to refugees, provided they had stateside family members willing and able to sponsor them.

Fernandez left Cuba with her brother and parents when she was 12 years old.

“It became painfully clear to my parents that in order for their children to have a meaningful life, they had to leave and start anew,” Fernandez said of her parents’ struggle as factory workers after they arrived in Miami on June 27, 1969.

Fernandez set her sights on school and went on to college while awaiting to be granted American citizenship which came, memorably, on July 4, 1976.

She met Air Force Col. Sam Johnson, at the time the commander of Florida’s Homestead Air Force Base. Fernandez found herself intrigued by the colonel’s history as a Vietnam War veteran who’d endured nearly seven years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, including 42 months in solitary confinement. The native Texan is now a member of Congress representing the state’s 3rd District and is among the few lawmakers to have fought in combat.

“When I met him, I decided I wanted to be part of an organization with leadership as great as he was,” Fernandez said.  So in 1976, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

Her work and life experiences catapulted her to recognition and promotion, and her travels would take her from Florida to Aviano Air Base, Italy, to a stint with the Hurricane Hunters at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and even to Russia.

“Living in America really affirmed that my parents had done well for me,” Fernandez said.

Her career with the National Park Service also began to blossom as she took on civilian positions, among them in Seneca Falls, N.Y., and her regular civilian job as superintendent of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

Her earliest memories in pursuit of freedom, she said, spurred a conversation with her father, specifically about what America meant to him.

“Like a good Cuban, he said, ‘Baseball, the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and the Grand Canyon,’” Fernandez said. “In a funny way, I’ve managed to take all that on and make it what I do.”

On June 27, 43 years to the day after she arrived in the United States, Fernandez coordinated a park pass giveaway for military members and their families through the America the Beautiful series.

In just one day, nearly a thousand people showed up at her Pentagon office to take advantage of the program, which grants free access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, national parks and wildlife refuges to active duty service members, activated Guardsmen, reservists and their families.

“I’ve been surrounded by wonderful people who inspire me and somehow I’ve been able to blend passions of mine -- nature, history and the military -- all while protecting and preserving our nation’s cultural and natural resources,” Fernandez said. “I’m part of a journey in which we’re sharing and educating people about the beauty and history of this country.”

Obama Honors New Citizen Service Members at White House

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 4, 2012 – Twenty-five U.S. service members filed through the White House East Room today in dress uniforms, proudly displaying their service and sacrifices to America, and took their citizenship oath before their commander in chief.

They were among more than 4,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who became U.S. citizens during Independence Day ceremonies also held at U.S. military installations in Kandahar, Afghanistan; Seoul, South Korea; Las Vegas; Miami; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and San Diego.

Obama said it brought him “great joy and inspiration” to conduct the ceremony on America’s 236th birthday. “It reminds us that we are a country that is bound together not simply by ethnicity or bloodlines, but by fidelity to a set of ideas,” he said.

“As members of our military, you raised your hand and took an oath of service,” he continued. “It is an honor for me to serve as your commander in chief. Today, you raised your hand and have taken an oath of citizenship. And I could not be prouder to be among the first to greet you as ‘my fellow Americans.’"

Obama addressed the service members and their families in a late morning ceremony as White House staff prepared for an evening barbeque for military members and their families that will include viewing the annual Fourth of July fireworks over the Washington Monument.

The president noted various evolutions throughout the nation’s history, and pointed out that what began as “a ragtag army of militias and regulars” –has become “the finest military that the world has ever known.”

The service members arrived in America in different ways – some as children, and some as adults, Obama noted. “All of you did something profound,” he said. “You chose to serve. You put on the uniform of a country that was not yet fully your own. In a time of war, some of you deployed into harm’s way. You displayed the values that we celebrate every Fourth of July: duty, responsibility and patriotism.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas presided over the White House ceremony, and noted that he was a refugee who became a naturalized U.S. citizen. “These 25 exceptional individuals took an oath to support and defend the Constitution before sharing fully in the rights and opportunities it provides,” he said. “We are all inspired by their commitment to freedom and service to preserve our great nation.”

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered the Oath of Allegiance. “Today, you have earned all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen of the United States,” she said. “America is now your country. You have worked so hard to get here. You should be just as proud of this achievement as I am to call you my fellow citizen.”

More than 80,000 U.S. service members have become American citizens since 2001, Napolitano said. “Our nation thanks you for your service,” she told the new citizens. “We owe the freedoms we all enjoy to the sacrifices of men and women like you.”

The Homeland Security Department is working with the Defense Department to expand a process that began in 2009 to offer noncitizen enlistees the opportunity to become naturalized citizens before completing basic training “so that they can graduate as naturalized citizens,” Napolitano said.

“We will continue to do all that we can to expedite the naturalization process for those like you who have sacrificed so much,” she added.

Army Spc. Oluwatosin Akinduro immigrated to Houston from Lagos, Nigeria, with his parents when he was 6. He said he is the first in his family to become a U.S. citizen and that he hopes to lead by example, both in the military and in his personal life.

“My family is very proud of me today,” he said. “I’m a little nervous, speechless. This is something I’m doing for myself and my family.”

After graduating from high school, Akinduro played football for Rutgers University in New Jersey and hoped to play professionally. When that goal wasn’t realized, he said, he joined the Army and plans to make it his career.

“I have my head up, my chest out, and I’m just so proud of what I’m doing,” he said. I come from a very proud background. I don’t believe in fear too much. With my background, I always believed I could do anything I put my mind to.”

Face of Defense: Airman’s Dream of Citizenship Comes True

By Air Force Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton

92nd Air Refueling Wing

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash.  – A contracting specialist from the 92nd Contracting Squadron here fulfilled his dream March 27 when a Spokane, Wash., judge swore him in as a U.S. citizen.

"The most important thing about citizenship for me is that I can finally get a secret clearance to better serve the Air Force and my country," said Air Force Airman 1st Class Abraham Garduza, who is responsible for Air Force contracts totaling more than $1 million.

"I always wanted to do something important with my life," added the 23-year-old Matamoros, Mexico native. "I wanted to do something I could be proud of doing while continuing my education."

Garduza was one of more than 32,000 people serving in the military as a legal resident in hopes of attaining citizenship. While most airmen focus on on-the-job training and career development courses, airmen like Garduza also study U.S. history, government and language to pass their citizenship examination -- material most Americans haven't touched since grade school.

"Since getting my citizenship, I have felt so incredibly humbled," said the volunteer soccer coach, who is proud to own a Mexican national soccer team jersey his girlfriend gave him. "I thoroughly enjoy what I do and the people I work with."

Passing a 100-question-plus examination and successfully completing an interview was only part of the process. Service members like Garduza also must be able to read, write and speak basic English, must be of good moral character and must have continuously lived in the United States for at least five years.

"Now I feel like I belong," Garduza said. "Not only does getting my citizenship allow me to better serve America, but it also allows me to vote -- a right I now have under the Constitution as a U.S. citizen."

It would have been much harder for Garduza to become a citizen had it not been for the generosity of another person who helped him attain his residency, he said.

"It was tough," said Garduza, who has maintained a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend. "I was a poor college student when I first decided to start the process toward citizenship."

Working toward his bachelors of arts degree in psychology from the University of Texas in Austin, Garduza was befriended by a generous law professor, Ramiro Canales, who fronted the $1,000 cost of Garduza's residency application.

"To have someone so generous at that stage of my life meant the world," he said.

However, Canales wasn't the only influential player in Garduza's development. His mother, Beatriz Martinez, also was pivotal in his ability to seek a higher education and eventually serve in the Air Force.

"My mom has been really helpful," he said. "Her guidance and support -- I just don't know where I'd be without her."

In Mexico, families must pay tuition for their children to attend high school. Garduza and his family moved from Mexico to the United States when he was 11 years old, he said, because his parents wanted to ensure he had access to better education opportunities than he did in Mexico.

"My parents weren't the wealthiest," he said, “but still wanted to ensure my siblings and I had a chance to excel in our lives."

Garduza said he also wants the same education opportunities for his children when he starts a family.

"I definitely believe that as human beings we want the best for our kids' futures," he said. "So I'll do whatever I can to also facilitate a powerful educational future for my kin."

The new U.S. citizen said he has future goals.

"I'd like to become an officer in the future, too," Garduza said. "I think it's important for me to see and understand what life is like on the enlisted side."

Garduza needed his citizenship to become an officer -- something he wasn't able to do even though he joined with a bachelor's degree.

"They're all stepping stones to becoming the best man I can be," he said. "I've always wanted to do something I love and be proud of who I am along the way."

Kenyan native gives back to new home through service in National Guard

By Jennifer Archdekin

Missouri National Guard

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (4/16/12) – Army Pvt. Paul Baiywo has only been in the United States for about five years, but this Kenyan native has made the decision to serve in the Missouri Army National Guard as a means to give back to his new nation.

Baiywo, who is making his home in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife Grace and two daughters, said he left his home in Africa in search of a better life for him and his family.

“We agreed to travel here and look for greener pastures,” Baiywo said. “When I came here I liked it and thought I should do something for my country now. I chose the National Guard because it’s part-time and I have a family.”

Now a student at Penn Valley Metropolitan Community College studying electrical and computer engineering, Baiywo hopes to complete his associate degree soon and continue his education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“I can go to school at the same time and have the experience in the Army,” Baiywo said about serving in the National Guard. “Grace supported me for my dreams. It takes a lot, but I’m ready for this. I would eventually like to work full time for the Army. I’ve always had a passion for the Army.”

At the young ages of five and three years old, Baiywo’s daughters are still learning what it means for their dad to be a Citizen-Soldier.

“My kids don’t understand it yet, but they will when they grow up,” he said. “Once they see me in my uniform and see things on TV they’ll connect the lines.”

Baiywo’s girls were born in the U.S., so they are not familiar with their Kenyan heritage first-hand, but he hopes they will one day be proud of him for what he is accomplishing on their behalf.

“They just hear about where they came from, but have never experienced it,” Baiywo said.

Army Sgt. Jerry Simons, Baiywo’s recruiter, was impressed with his eagerness to not only improve himself, but to also give back to his state and country.

“He's driven by gaining success for himself and his family,” Simons said. “Paul is very smart. His goal is to become an officer one day. I believe he will be a good Soldier and has what it takes to be a good officer.”

Baiywo will serve as a combat engineer with the 1141st Engineer Company (Sapper) in Kansas City. He is slated to begin his basic training in September at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

 “It’s an honor to have the [Army] National Guard command sergeant major come here,” said Army Spc. Michael Hilario, a member of ADT 4. “You have somebody of that rank and the stature that he holds in Washington…that speaks volumes to me. It lets us know that we’re on the right track.”