Photo By Lance Cpl. William Horsley | U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Ali Abbas, a Marine with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. – The chaos and tragedy of the war in Iraq left Audai Naser and his wife Kanat Saad with few options.
The war had already forced them to move countless times, relocating from the capital of Baghdad, to the city of Kirkuk, and eventually settling in Karbala.
Kanat was pregnant at the time with their son Ali Abbas. With the frequent relocations and Iraq in an economic crisis, the family had no medical resources available to them.
“When Kanat was pregnant with Ali, she was in labor I took her to the hospital, but we didn’t have much money at the time,” said Audai, “When I told them we didn’t have the money they refused to admit us.”
Audai said his wife was screaming in pain and eventually gave birth to Ali outside the hospital.
Growing up in War
Ali, alongside his six brothers and sisters, grew up encircled by the war.
Following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country entered a period of disorder with a lack of functioning government or military. The Abbas family recalled witnessing the surge of terrorist and extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda.
“I saw many, many dead people on the roads,” said Audai, “Hundreds.”
The Abbas family had no other option except to flee their home country as the war escalated throughout the Middle East. Relocating north to Damascus, Syria, in 2005, the family applied to the United Nations for refugee status, hoping to immigrate to the U.S. and escape the turmoil.
While they were able to stay together as one family and hold on to their deep Arabic culture and traditions, life in Syria was an extreme contrast from what they had in Iraq. During their time in Syria, the family experienced aggressive racism due to their Iraqi ethnicity.
In August of 2008, the family’s refugee application was officially approved, and they quickly fled to the United States for safety.
“I couldn’t believe it,” expressed Kanat, “I was so excited I couldn’t sleep for two days, I felt safe for the first time in my life.”
New Beginnings
Arriving in Atlanta, the family was placed in a refugee community for a short time. Despite the new community and environment, it was a haven of safety from their home.
Audai and Kanat were able to find work quickly and begin growing their income while all their children were able to re-enroll in school. As they continued to adapt to a new way of life, the Abbas family relocated from Atlanta and moved north to Maine. While in Maine, the family relied on a homeless shelter for 34 days until they were able to move into an apartment there.
As the family got settled, they were able to prioritize and complete the process to earn their American citizenship. Though Ali and his younger siblings were still under the age of 18, his three older siblings and his parents all had to complete and pass the required naturalization testing. On March 28, 2014, the family all together took the oath of citizenship and were officially U.S. citizens.
“We were counting the days, says Audai. “It felt like I was born again, renewed. It was my dream, because the U.S. was not just a country, but our home.”
Ali and His Choice to Serve
Ali graduated from Deering High School in 2019, and became interested in serving in the military, specifically the United States Marine Corps.
Ali said he remembered his older brother, Ahmed, would talk to recruiters when he was in high school and would always bring home Marine Corps keychains. Additionally, Ali said his father was a proud supporter of the U.S. military.
Hesitant but interested, he reached out to Sgt. Dillon Reynolds, a Marine recruiter at Recruiting Station Boston.
Ali learned about the opportunities available and chose to enlist as an infantryman with the Marine Forces Reserve so he could serve and continue to stay close to his family.
Arriving to Parris Island
Ali arrived to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in April. His life experiences, especially from his time in Syria, helped him develop strong mental resilience and grit. Throughout training Ali relied on his toughness which made him stand out from his peers. His drill instructors recognized this quickly and he was selected to be the guide for his platoon.
Coming to recruit training Ali said he didn’t know what to expect and feared he may face possible anger or resentment due to his Arab heritage. Ali said his fear was unfounded because he was met with nothing but brotherhood and respect from both his platoon and drill instructors.
“I grew up in the Marine Corps and a society where the Muslim faith wasn’t common,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Legault, the senior drill instructor over Ali’s platoon. “I didn’t know much about it, and he opened my eyes to what the faith is about.”
Legault said he would talk to Ali and learned about the things he had to experience growing up. Legault said he asked Ali if he would talk to the platoon about his life experiences because his fellow recruits may experience some of those things in future wars.
Ali said he found beauty in talking with his fellow recruits because not only did they grow to understand him, but they valued him more as their guide.
Earning the title
Today, Ali graduated from recruit training as the platoon honor graduate for Platoon 2036, Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion.
Ali said his time a recruit training has been a growing experience. He said he learned a lot about himself and gained confidence and leadership skills. But most importantly, he gained a sense of belonging in the Marine Corps.
“It feels like I have joined a family and been accepted into a brotherhood as part of something bigger,” said Ali. “I can tell you for a fact that there is no place I would rather be. For me, personally, I feel at home.”
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| Date Taken: | 07.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2024 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 476037 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 505 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, A Sense of Belonging: An Iraqi born Marine's journey to finding brotherhood, by Cpl Jacqueline Akamelu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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