How I found out you don’t have to be a citizen to be in the air force!
This is an excerpt from my book, ‘The Adventures of an Air Force Medic.” It’s based on my two years as an air force medic in northern California back in the early ’80s.
During my time on the honor guard I learned something interesting about the recruiting policies of the United States Air Force. I learned this from another member of the team when I asked him a standard ‘let’s get to know each other’ question, “Where you from?”
His answer threw me for a loop. I expected him to name a state. I had no idea what state but I figured it had to be one of them. Or, I expected some well-known city like Los Angeles or New York. Looking at him and listening to him talk didn’t give me many clues. OK, I figured there’s no way he’s from New England cause he talks with a pronounced accent that I’d never heard before, so I ruled out the north eastern states. But, other than that, he could be from anywhere. He spoke clearly and distinctly making him easy to understand but ‘where on earth is that accent from?’
And, looking at him didn’t help much either. His brown skin and slightly slanted eyes told me he had some Asian flavor. But, my experience with anything Asian had serious limitations. At that point in my life, I clumped all Asians in the Chinese category. My Asian knowledge began and ended when my mother dragged us all to New York City Chinatown for a spectacular meal upstairs in some family’s living room converted to a restaurant. I remember the food, delicious. That experience summed up the extent of my first hand Asian knowledge. When it came to Asia and Asians, I had nothing. OK, maybe a few Hollywood movies and my New York Chinese food experience, but that’s it. I got nothing.
My honor guard teammate looked at me and said, “I’m from the Philippines.”
Even though my geography skills needed upgrading, I realized the Philippines aren’t part of the United States, not one of the fifty states or territories. So, I put on my best ‘I’m confused look’ and tried to work out how someone could be in the United States Air Force who’s from another country. I thought, ‘Oh, I get it, he’s from the Philippines but that’s not what I asked him, I asked him where he’s from now, not where he was born. I’ll try again.’
So, my follow-up question went something like this, “Yeah, OK, but where are you from, what state?”
I beamed with pride at my clever question, covering all bases, ‘Now I’ll get the answer I’m looking for, what state is he from, I’ve made my question more precise, this will work.’
But, it didn’t. Well it did, but I wouldn’t accept the truth as told to me by my honor guard teammate, “I’m from the Philippines, that’s where I’m from.”
I became frustrated; I failed again, ‘I just need to make the question clearer.’ So, I approached it again, from a different angle, “I understand you’re from the Philippines but I just want to know what state you’re from … OK, where were you when you joined the Air Force?”
‘I got him now,’ I thought, ‘can’t get out of this one.’
He got out. And this is when I realized who had the problem – me. I’m the problem. He’s answering my questions and I’m not accepting his answers. I couldn’t get it through my head, couldn’t work out how this truth could be true. I couldn’t process it.
“I joined the air force from the Philippines,” he politely replied to my frustrated and confused looking face.
“OK, let me get this straight, you joined the United States Air Force from the Philippines?”
“Yup.”
“How on earth does that work?”
“Well, the Air Force has a quota they can take directly from the Philippines. Most Filipinos go in the US Navy, but some, like me, get in the Air Force.”
“So, are you Filipino or American?” I asked as if a hard-nosed immigration official, or in common language, a real jerk.
“I’m Filipino. I’ll apply for citizenship later. If I keep a good record, then citizenship should be easy. Joining the military is one of the best ways to get citizenship. That’s why so many Filipinos are lined up to join.”
The penny finally dropped for me. I assumed you had to be an American – a US citizen – to be in the United States military. Wrong. My newfound honor guard teammate ‘schooled me’ on the truth. You didn’t need to be a US citizen; you just had to get in; however you can, just do it. And, apparently, the United States military couldn’t recruit enough American citizens to serve so they looked elsewhere.
I observed my new honor guard teammate and thought, ‘He’s good. Glad we got him. Wonder if all Filipinos are sharp, well-mannered, clear thinking like him?’
Then I thought some more, ‘Is Leandro a US citizen? He’s from Portugal but I assumed he became a US citizen.’
Next time I saw Leandro I asked him, “Are you a US citizen?”
He verified what I learned from my Filipino honor guard friend, “No. But, the recruiter told me it’s an easy way to become a citizen. Serve first and then it’s a breeze getting citizenship. It’s another benefit of joining in the military.”
Wow, never would have known …
