Photo By Lance Cpl. Katalynn M. Rodgers | Pvt. Chris Farhat, Platoon 2143, Company G, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, takes a...... read more read more
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Think of all the things that are in a normal household. Many Americans have running water, enough food, and television. These are all freedoms that many people take for granted, including one boy who grew up in California.
Rct. Chris Farhat, Platoon 2143, Company G, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, was born in Orange County, Calif., and enjoyed a very happy childhood until one day he will never forget. The day he moved to Syria to visit an ill relative.
“I know what it’s like to not have freedoms and not love the country that you live in,” said Farhat. “Until you see how other people live and the standards that they live by on the other side of the world, then you see how great the United States of America is,” said Farhat. “Until then you really can’t appreciate it.”
Farhat’s father received a phone call from his family in Syria, telling him that Farhat’s grandmother had become terminally ill. His father decided right away to leave everything behind and take them to Syria so that his family could be with his ailing grandmother, Farhat said. Upon their arrival Farhat’s father decided that they were there to stay.
When Farhat’s father decided to stay in Syria permanently, the remainder of Farhat’s family did not share his enthusiasm; especially Farhat’s Mother.
“My dad even went as far as to take away our passports so that she [my mother] couldn’t try and leave with me,” said Farhat. “Finally, my mom couldn’t take it anymore, so she lied to my dad and told him that we were going shopping.”
Instead she went to the U.S. Embassy and told them the situation they were in and they devised a plan to help them out, Farhat said.
He was too young to really know what was going on, but one night around three in the morning, his mom woke him up and told him that they had to go.
When they met up with the U.S. Embassy they gave his mother two passports, a set of airline tickets, some cash and a ride to a taxi. They were then smuggled into Jordan where they flew back to California, he said.
“After we arrived in California it was hard on us,” Farhat said. “My mom couldn’t get a job and all the money we had was what the embassy gave us and government assistance. Mom used the money to buy a beat up car that we lived out of most of the time.”
After living that way for almost a year his mom decided to go back to his father, Farhat said. He flew us back to Syria where they lived until high school.
“I hated every day of my life there,” he said. “I couldn’t adapt to their culture and being an American in a Middle Eastern country I was picked on every day. I usually got into fights and was threatened regularly. I skipped school all the time.”
Farhat was living in Syria during the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Because of the proximity of Syria to Iraq it hit close to where he lived many times and there were plenty of people that were infuriated because they felt like their people were being bullied, he said.
“It made me wish I were older and part of the people doing the invading,” he said. “I wished that the war would still be going on when I [became] old enough. I would pretend I was in the military, running around with firecrackers pretending I was blowing things up.”
Farhat begged and pleaded with his father daily to take him back home. His dad finally saw how miserable he was there and moved the family back to America, he said.
“When I returned I immediately knew that I wanted to join the military to serve the country that I really loved and called home,” he said. “As soon as I graduated school I enlisted in the Marine Corps.”
The recruiter talked to him and explained the differences between the Marines and the other services. To Farhat they were the same, the Army and the Marines, both being ground forces. His one buddy graduated and came back before Farhat left for recruit training and he saw how awesome he looked, and that helped him decide, he said.
“I’m definitely glad the Marines got me first,” he said. “There are so many great experiences to be gotten out of it and it makes you the best you can be.”
Farhat’s experience made him love America so much that it made him want to die for it at any given moment, he said. He felt like he owed it something, like he should give himself to his country.
“I’m happy I had the experience I did,” he said. “It brought me to the Marines where I belong. If I didn’t I probably would have wound up some average kid going to a mediocre college, and I probably wouldn’t have joined the military.”
Farhat will join the ranks of the U.S. Marine Corps and provide relief to the Marines currently overseas protecting our country. He will be fulfilling his own wish of serving the US in a time of war.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2010 21:16 |
| Story ID: | 61828 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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