PUEBLO, Colo. – The month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor and reflect on the accomplishments and sacrifices of Asians and Pacific Islanders who made their mark in the United States. During May, the Army joins the nation in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Two vastly different journeys from Asian Pacific countries more than 1,000 miles apart united two U.S. Army Soldiers on their mission to earning their American citizenship.
U.S. Army Spc. Patrick De Castro, a native of San Pablo, Philippines, and U.S. Army Pfc. Tuan Tran, a native of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, both combat medics assigned to 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, are both deployed to the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo, Colorado, in support of the federal vaccination mission. De Castro and Tran, who work side-by-side at the Pueblo CVC recently became American citizens through military naturalization only days apart from each other.
“When I finally got my citizenship, I felt really at ease,” described De Castro. “When I finally held my Certificate of Naturalization, I was just staring at it and I said, ‘Now I am really an American citizen.’”
De Castro officially became an American citizen on April 26. Just three days later on April 29, Tran earned his citizenship. While no two paths are the same, each begin with the first step, or in the cases of Tran and De Castro, with a leap of faith.
“My parents had their two-year green card and were beginning their application for a 10-year green card, but their application wasn’t going to be very strong,” explained Tran. “My mom wanted me to go to college, but she said I should join the military to get my citizenship in case their green card application got denied and they get deported.”
Joining the Army offers an alternative route to earning citizenship in exchange for military service. According to fwd.us, more than 100,000 immigrants have become citizens through the military in the last 20 years. Each servicemember brings with them a unique story and reasons why they joined.
“I think we moved around October 2012,” said Tran, who was 12 years old at the time. “I experienced my first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in the U.S. in 2012.”
Having visited the U.S. twice previously, Tran was ecstatic to finally be moving.
“I was just really excited because I spent most of my elementary school learning English,” laughed Tran. “I spent the entire 16-hour flight to the U.S. just roaming the airplane speaking to every American adult I could find. I walked around the airport, you know, saying, ‘Hi’ to people and watching them play games on their laptops.”
For De Castro, his story began a little bit differently.
“I waited 13 years to move to the U.S. from the Philippines,” explained De Castro, who moved to the U.S. in September 2019. “My family was already here in the U.S., and I was the last one who was still in the Philippines.”
Both at different stages of their lives, De Castro and Tran began their individual journeys to the U.S. for similar reasons: better opportunities.
“My parents moved here for better opportunities for me and my siblings; better living conditions and better educational opportunities,” said Tran, noting how different life in Vietnam is compared to America.
Conversely, De Castro had already established himself in a career back in the Philippines as a Research and Planning Officer for the San Pablo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. His desire to be with his family again and better his career drew him to America.
“There is much more opportunity for me to grow in the U.S. because here, I can be much better,” said De Castro. “I said, ‘I’m going to leave my career here in the Philippines and go over and reunite with my family in California, and then establish myself again. So, start from zero, and start my life here in the U.S.’”
De Castro moved to America and got a job in an endoscopy clinic. In early 2020, the clinic he worked at closed due to the pandemic. A registered nurse back in the Philippines, De Castro saw immense value in enlisting into the Army and earning his degree to become a nurse in the U.S.
“It was always a dream of mine to be in the U.S. Army. I am a 90’s kid, so G.I. Joe was one of my favorite cartoons,” joked De Castro.
Now friends, De Castro and Tran met on Fort Carson when De Castro arrived at the unit from advanced individual training (AIT).
“We did like one big celebration where we were sending off two of our sergeants and welcoming in two Soldiers,” explained Tran, who welcomed in De Castro at the celebration. “They were fresh out of AIT so, you know, we just said congratulations and welcome.”
Deployed at the Pueblo CVC, De Castro and Tran are providing vaccinations to members of the Pueblo community. Together, they are a part of the whole-of-government response to the global pandemic. Their efforts in Pueblo thus far have contributed to more than 4.8 million vaccinations given by more than 5,100 service members from across the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) serving in 25 states and one territory.
“I really feel like I’m privileged to be a part of this vaccination program because not everyone can help their country like this,” said De Castro. “It’s not just about the Army or FEMA fighting the pandemic, it involves all of us. Even the civilians are contributing by choosing to get vaccinated. They are helping the country to eliminate the COVID pandemic.”
Diversity is one the many strengths of the U.S. Army. Regardless of why we joined or where we are from, being a Soldier comes with tremendous pride.
“Joining the Army was the best decision I made in my life,” stated De Castro. “It might be tough. It will test your character and build you into a better person than you are now.”
U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2021 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 396930 |
| Location: | PUEBLO, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Two U.S. Army Soldiers Gain Citizenship While Deployed at Pueblo Vaccination Site, by 2LT Jacob Moir, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
