Photo By Staff Sgt. Kasie Faddis | This month’s Excellent Airman is Staff. Sgt. Osman Kargbo, Commander’s Support...... read more read more
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Kargbo moved to the United States from Sierra Leone, West Africa in 2017 to go to college. In October 2019 he joined the Air Force and was stationed at Joint-Base Charleston, South Carolina until June 2024 when he had a permanent change of station to move to the 99th ARS.
“I could give you a million reasons why I joined, but my first reason why was college. I was at a community college taking six credit courses using federal student loans,” said Kargbo. “Even though, it was not a lot of money, I got frustrated and wondered how I was going to pay them off. My intention was to quit and save up some money, but my grandfather told me the military could help pay for my tuition, so I started doing some research, so I signed up.”
After joining the military and earning his citizenship, Kargbo said he brought his wife from Sierra Leone and fought to get her citizenship.
“I have always admired the U.S. military along with the humanitarian and rescue operations. It gives me a sense of pride being part of it,” he said. “I plan to make an excellent career out of it which was another reason I joined.”
In April, Kargbo will graduate with his master’s degree in accounting to become a Certified Public Accountant, and he said he is very excited to walk for his graduation because he was deployed during his graduation for his bachelor’s degree. He also has earned his Community College of the Air Force degree for accounting and can speak five languages which includes French, Krio, Limba, Temne, Mende and English.
“I just got here in June so I am still trying to figure out what I like about Birmingham. I like the hospitality and history of Alabama,” he said. “So far, we are liking it here and if we enjoy it here, we may stay longer.”
Kargbo said he appreciates Alabama for its rich Civil Rights history and can’t wait to explore more of the state because history is very important to him. He also enjoys playing soccer, reading, hiking, music, traveling wherever and spending time with his family.
“We already have a plan to go visit all of the historical places in Alabama,” said Kargbo. “We also plan to go visit Jamaica because we have never been and we are going to visit Kenya to go on a real safari.”
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2025 14:48 |
| Story ID: | 490200 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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