Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | Spc. Sing Mang, an automated logistical specialist with Company B, 248th Aviation...... read more read more
Iowa National Guard Soldier makes it home
On March 19, Spc. Sing Mang took a 19-hour bus ride from a small village in Burma to an airport, expecting to go home to Des Moines, Iowa, after visiting his family. Instead, he arrived to grounded planes and the news that all flights had been cancelled due to a global pandemic, with no hope of rescheduling any time soon because of a travel ban.
Nearly two decades after moving to the U.S. as a young child, Mang knew he was long overdue for a family visit in Burma. Now, he would go on to spend nearly two extra months in his hometown trying to get home to his wife and one-year-old son.
Mang joined the Iowa Army National Guard in 2017 as an automated logistical specialist with Company B, 248th Aviation Support Battalion in Boone, Iowa. It was there that he met Sgt. Jesse Jordan, who played a key part in helping Mang return home.
As soon as Mang joined the unit, Jordan knew he would be a valuable member of their team.
“His very first drill, Spc. Mang wanted to know what he could do to be better, learn more and grow,” Jordan said. “Language can be a barrier, it can take him longer to translate things in his mind, and I’m so impressed because there are things in aviation I don’t even know, and he’s still learning it.”
It wasn’t until a Friday night in April that Jordan realized Mang was stuck away from home.
“April drill came around and I was getting ahold of all my Soldiers to let them know it was cancelled, and he was the one I couldn’t get ahold of,” Jordan said. “I messaged him on Facebook and that’s when he told me he was still stuck in Burma.”
Once Jordan became aware of his situation, she wouldn’t stop until he was back in Iowa. The Iowa National Guard Warrior and Family Service Branch helped her reach out to Mang’s wife, and proceeded to help her fill out applications for financial assistance and create a budget.
Because plane tickets were so expensive, Jordan raised $3,500 in three days to donate to Mang’s wife so she could buy his ticket home and help pay their bills. Her office also donated weekly meals.
She kept in touch with Mang through Facebook, which he could only access by visiting a neighbor who had internet. Even with a 14-hour time difference between Iowa and Burma, and limited means of communication, they worked together to set things in motion.
While the process was long and stressful, Mang said his experience in the Iowa National Guard helped him push through. He said he’s grateful to Jordan for all the help he received.
“It changed my mental state,” Mang said. “Being in the Iowa National Guard gives me confidence in everything I do. Even if I don’t have experience to do something, I feel confidence in myself.”
On May 6, Mang set out on a 36-hour flight from Burma, to New York, to Chicago, and finally, home.
“My fiancé and I went to the airport to meet him,” Jordan said. “Once it finally happened, I had to see him land and get off that plane. I was emotional. He was exhausted, but happy to be home.”
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2020 09:38 |
| Story ID: | 370614 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 654 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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