Photo By Spc. Nyatan Bol | Spc. Jerome Arenas Delos Reyes, a 15B Aircraft Powerplant Repairer assigned to Bravo...... read more read more
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ILLESHEIM, Germany -- “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
These words, written by Emma Lazarus in her sonnet “The New Colossus,” in 1883 and etched on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty, serve as a reminder to Americans of the commitment our nation has made to people from all over the world, fleeing persecution and violence in search of the American dream. Tens of thousands of Soldiers who are immigrants serve in the United States Army today, with many achieving citizenship while serving.
One such Soldier is Spc. Jerome Arenas Delos Reyes, a 15B Aircraft Powerplant Repairer assigned to Bravo Company, 601st Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade based in Fort Riley, Kansas.
Spc. Delos Reyes was born in Manila nearly thirty years ago to his mother Divina Delos Reyes, an entrepreneur who owned a business selling rice and his father, Tagumpay Delos Reyes Jr. who worked at a clinic as a paramedic. The neighborhood he grew up in was “a really tough place.” He said it was plagued by gang violence, and crime. Despite that, Spc. Delos Reyes was able to have a successful career in sales, take care of his family and live a decent life. While things were going well for him, violence plagued his neighborhood, putting him and his family in a precarious situation.
When he was 26 years old, his family made the decision to leave everything they had ever known and move to the United States. It wasn’t an easy decision, and Spc. Delos Reyes was hesitant. He said “I had built a life here with my wife, and had a stable job.” Moving to the United States for him would mean “starting at a zero,” a prospect that worried him.
His family applied for a visa to come to the United States, but it meant leaving his two older siblings; a brother and sister behind as well as his wife, Jonalyn Poserio Delos Reyes. He said it was a difficult decision for his family to make, but his dad was adamant. Spc. Delos Reyes said his father believed that “America would provide him and his family better opportunities to succeed.” As a family, they were chasing the American dream.
When they arrived in the United States, it was quite difficult for the family. Spc. Delos Reyes recalls “sleeping in a car” his first few nights. Despite the hardships, he knew that his family was depending on him, so he continued to work hard. He worked two jobs and says he was “the sole income for his family.” They relied on him to make decisions, and looked to him for advice.
After a few years of struggling to make ends meet, and not being able to spend any time with his family, Spc. Delos Reyes decided to join the U.S. Army. He scored well enough on his ASVAB to be able to get a job related to Aeronautical Engineering, a field in which he earned a degree in while in the Philippines. He was going to be working on repairing helicopters, and was excited at the prospect.
Today he enjoys his job as a 15B, Aircraft Powerplant Repairer and the stability being in the Army has given him. The most difficult part of being a Soldier for him is being separated from his wife. Spc. Delos Reyes has not seen his wife, Jonalyn Poserio Delos Reyes in over three years. He continues to work diligently to be reunited with her. He says “complicated immigration laws” are making the process more difficult, but he hasn’t given up.
Spc. Delos Reyes is committed to continue serving and says he is “grateful for the opportunities serving has given him.” He hopes to use his military experience to pursue a civilian career in Aeronautical Engineering.
“The Army’s been a great stepping stone for me and I’m very fortunate. I learned so much, not only about the Army and America, but about myself. Coming to America and joining the Army has strengthened my confidence which is really important to me. It’s also made me realize how truly important my family and wife is and that their faith in me is what keeps me motivated to do even better things out here.”
Spc. Delos Reyes aspires to become a non-commissioned officer in the Army and is eager to pursue a career where he is able to use his degree in Aeronautical Engineering. “The Army gives me so many options with what I want to do with my life and it’s great.”
Spc. Delos Reyes is currently on rotation in Illesheim, Germany in support of Atlantic Resolve.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2019 07:20 |
| Story ID: | 332033 |
| Location: | ILLESHEIM, DE |
| Web Views: | 492 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Filipino Immigrant Proudly Serves in the United States Army, by SPC Nyatan Bol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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