Airman values quality of life in U.S. Air Force

by Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

4/2/2014 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- She was raised in a small, one-bedroom home made of wood. She and her mother lived in the small, dark, damp basement and slept on an old futon on the concrete floor. There was only one bathroom, which she shared with many cockroaches.

These are the humble beginnings for one Airman, and the conditions that inspired her to come to the United States and serve in the military.

Senior Airman Jorgette Chuang grew up in a very poor, rural area of the Philippines with her single mother. Her mother's family also lived in the Philippines, but didn't communicate with her after she became pregnant.

"In Chinese culture, it's the biggest taboo to get pregnant outside of marriage, so my mom was disowned by her family when she found out she was pregnant with me," the 23-year-old said. "After she was disowned, she realized my father was married and had two kids with different moms. So it was like a triple whammy for my mom, who gave up wealth for love."

Growing up, she didn't have any help from her father, who had left the Philippines for a new life.

"When I was four years old, my father joined the U.S. Navy, and we did not hear from him for a long time," Chuang said. "I was 12 when he came back into our lives. When I was 16, the Navy found out about us, and to keep from getting into further trouble, he petitioned for us to come to the U.S."

It wasn't until she was 18 years old, that the petition was approved. At the time Chuang was pursuing a nursing degree in the hopes her education would help her come to America. When she was notified about the petition, she withdrew from school.

"If you have the chance to come to the U.S., that's the way to go where I come from," Chuang said. "The Philippines is nice when you are a child and don't have to worry about anything, but as you grow up, reality starts to hit that there are no jobs in the Philippines. You could have a Doctorate Degree and not have a job. It's hard to survive if you are not from a prominent family or a business family. Wealth is handed down, so if you don't have anyone to hand it down to you, it's very hard to build anything from scrap."

Chuang and her mother moved to live with her father in Hawaii. Chuang and her father did not get along very well, so she looked for ways take her mom and go elsewhere.

Chuang said, "When I was in Hawaii, I was with my father, and we didn't have a perfect relationship; he's hot and cold and very unpredictable. He would fight with my mom, and I would butt in. It was always like that. I was trying to get out from under him and was looking for a way out. I wanted to be able to stand on my own. The only way out was the Air Force."

At the age of 20 Chuang joined the Air Force so she could get away from her father and take care of her mom. Chuang said that because she grew up outside of the U.S., her English wasn't very good, so going through Basic Military Training was especially difficult and terrifying.

"I went to Basic Training not knowing a lot about the military lifestyle. I wasn't expecting any of it, especially the yelling ... it reminded me of my father whom I'm extremely terrified of. It was the shock of my life. I didn't really know how to speak English before. I started to learn it about the fourth week of training. The instructors would start yelling, and people would start moving, and I wouldn't know what to do. One time, an instructor asked me to go to his office, and he wanted to know what was wrong with me because I was not following instructions. I told him I could understand 50 percent of what he says, but when he yells, it goes down to 10 percent. Starting from that point he knew that I had a little trouble understanding what he was saying, so when he would give commands and I wasn't doing what he wanted, he would walk to me and whisper loudly in my ear, slowly, what he wanted us to do, and then I would do it."

After graduating from BMT, she went to tech school to learn how to become a dental laboratory technician, and then came to Scott Air Force Base. Chuang said she loves working in the lab and learning all the different aspects of her job.

"This is the most amazing job I've ever had," said the 23-year-old technician. "It gives me the sense of accomplishment and pride whenever I fabricate a prosthesis that goes into a patient's mouth, and I know that person is going to use that for a long period of time. They teach you the basics in tech school, but don't teach you everything. So, every opportunity I had, I would stay after work to learn and perfect the task I was assigned."

Chuang said there is one experience that stands out in her mind that is the source of pride and triumph. The lab technicians needed to complete a large job for a patient in a very short amount of time.

"Six porcelain units needed to be completed on one side of the patient's mouth, and it needed to be done in a week," she said. "It takes two weeks to do one, normally. I stayed at work until 10 or 11 p.m. every day to catch up, and came in to work on Saturday and Sunday, because the patient was retiring soon. When Monday came, I was exhausted, but it was done. Everything fit perfectly, and when I got to see the smile on her face, it was priceless"

Even though her job can be very stressful at times, Chuang said she really enjoys working in the lab. The leadership at her office works hard to motivate her to do her job successfully.

"It can get stressful at times, but for the most part, it's very fulfilling," she said. "I have the best leadership. There is a lot of positive reinforcement which is very motivating. Master Sgt. Sanchez is like a father, mentor, teacher and wonderful leader. He's really good to all of us."

Master Sgt. Francisco Sanchez, the dental laboratory flight chief said Chuang has been a valuable asset and brings an amazing passion and talent to the team. Her contributions led to the clinic being awarded Air Mobility Command's 2013 Large Dental Clinic of the Year.

"Chuang epitomizes what it means to be an Airman and medic in the best Air Force in the world," he said. "She has been a true inspiration to not only her peers but to all who surround her. She embodies what the 375th Medical Group mission is, which is, "Enable Team Scott mission execution by ensuring mobility ready medics and Airmen developing healthy families and improving community partnerships."

Since joining the Air Force in 2011, Chuang has continued to embrace the Air Force core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.

During her technical training, Chuang received the Honor Graduate award, graduating with a 98.25 grade point average, which was the highest GPA in the Medical Education and Training Campus. She was the No. 1 selectee in the wing for Senior Airman Below the Zone. Chuang was also selected as the Dental Squadron Airman of the Year for 2013 and the Air Force Medical Service Outstanding Airman of the year, which is a MAJCOM level award.

Chuang said she hopes to get her commission, earn a medical degree and become a medical officer. She is two classes away from her Community College of the Air Force associate's degree.

"My favorite part about being in the military is being able to take care of my mother; it's the greatest thing. I owe the military so much for that because I would never be able to do this in the civilian world; being able to provide the house we are living in. It's pretty good, compared to what I would have otherwise. It's pretty awesome to have health care too, knowing we can go to the doctor when we get sick."

Chuang said, "In the past, whenever I encounter an exceptional hardship in life, I always tell myself that iron, in its raw state is nothing, you have to forge it through very high heat, drench it with cold water and pound on it repeatedly to create a mighty sword."