thedrifter
07-05-05, 07:08 AM
After long road to freedom, interpreter returns to Iraq
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Lance Cpl. Evan M. Eagan
FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 05, 2005) -- After fleeing from his native Iraq in 2001 and embarking on a journey, which took him through five different countries and eventually to the United States as a refugee, an interpreter with II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (FWD), has returned home to aid Marines in the rebuilding process in the city of Fallujah.
Johnny, a name he uses in place of his birth name to keep his identity hidden, works in the S-4 shop of the II MHG headquarters office, translating documents and helping bridge the communication gap between Marines and local Iraqis.
Born in Baghdad, Johnny had a passion for cooking, which led him to attend culinary school in Al Qanat, Iraq. Upon his graduation from the school he was required to fulfill a mandatory military service, putting his personal plans of working as a chef on hold.
“You are only required to do 36-months in the Iraqi military, but in Iraq under Saddam [Hussein] you never knew how long they would keep you,” he said. “One of my brothers was in for 15 years and another was a prisoner of war in Iran for 10 years.”
During his time in the service, Johnny was part of a recon unit during Operation Desert Storm in the early 90s, and fought in northern Iraq against the Iranians and Kurds.
After five years and eight months, Johnny was released from duty and he decided there were not many opportunities to better his life in Iraq. After a run-in with a federal agent under Saddam’s regime, he decided it was time to leave the country and go to the United States.
“He [federal agent] made a big order at the restaurant I was working at and tried to leave without paying for it,” said Johnny. “Then he told me, because I am a Christian, I don’t need the money because I have family in the U.S. sending it to me. I got so mad that I punched him in the face and knocked him down.”
As a result, Johnny was taken to prison, where he was interrogated and tortured because the agent said he was talking bad about Saddam’s regime.
Although his brothers posted his bail 12 days later, he vowed he would get out of Iraq and make a better life for himself no matter what he had to do.
“When I was in Iraq I was nothing because of the government,” said the 34-year-old. “I had no future there. There was nothing I could do.”
When he got out of prison Johnny obtained a fake passport and fled to Jordan, where he bought a fake visa in order to take a flight to Yugoslavia. From Yugoslavia he walked across the border to Hungary with a small group of people.
“We were captured in Hungary and put in a camp kind of like a jail,” he said. “They were going to do health examinations on us and other examinations which would have taken months, but I was in a hurry. Me, my nephew and two other guys escaped by jumping a fence of the camp. Once we got away we walked across the border to Austria where a charity made a meeting with the U.S. Consular for us.”
Johnny met with the consular at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria and told him his story.
“I received a phone call the next day and he [the consular] congratulated me on being a refugee to the United States,” he said with a smile. “I got a visa and took a flight to the United States on April 25, 2001, and went to Madison Heights, Mich., to live with my sisters.”
Shortly after arriving in the United States which Johnny refers to as his rebirth, he found a job in a bakery working with two of his cousins.
“I liked working at the bakery because I had family there, but I quit after a year because they didn’t know English,” he said. “I wanted to learn but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it there. I quit there and got a job at an Italian restaurant working with Americans and I started going to college to learn English and computer information science.”
From the end of 2002 until late 2004, Johnny studied English, through college classes and conversations with co-workers, until he heard about an opportunity to work in Iraq as a translator for the U.S. military.
After six months of screening, Johnny was chosen for the position.
Arriving in Iraq April 30, he is proud to be back to see how his country has improved.
“This is a really good experience for me,” he said. “I am so happy they got rid of Saddam. After 35 years of destroying the country, it will take time to be rebuilt. Everybody is happy, but many are still scared because of the insurgents. I can see that they want to help the Americans but they are afraid to do it because of the insurgents.”
Looking back on his long road to the United States, and back to Iraq, Johnny has no regrets.
“I think it was all worth it,” he said. “I would do it all over again in a second if I had to. I want to thank every American who came here and left their country to help the Iraqi people. I really appreciate that.”
Ellie
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Lance Cpl. Evan M. Eagan
FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 05, 2005) -- After fleeing from his native Iraq in 2001 and embarking on a journey, which took him through five different countries and eventually to the United States as a refugee, an interpreter with II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (FWD), has returned home to aid Marines in the rebuilding process in the city of Fallujah.
Johnny, a name he uses in place of his birth name to keep his identity hidden, works in the S-4 shop of the II MHG headquarters office, translating documents and helping bridge the communication gap between Marines and local Iraqis.
Born in Baghdad, Johnny had a passion for cooking, which led him to attend culinary school in Al Qanat, Iraq. Upon his graduation from the school he was required to fulfill a mandatory military service, putting his personal plans of working as a chef on hold.
“You are only required to do 36-months in the Iraqi military, but in Iraq under Saddam [Hussein] you never knew how long they would keep you,” he said. “One of my brothers was in for 15 years and another was a prisoner of war in Iran for 10 years.”
During his time in the service, Johnny was part of a recon unit during Operation Desert Storm in the early 90s, and fought in northern Iraq against the Iranians and Kurds.
After five years and eight months, Johnny was released from duty and he decided there were not many opportunities to better his life in Iraq. After a run-in with a federal agent under Saddam’s regime, he decided it was time to leave the country and go to the United States.
“He [federal agent] made a big order at the restaurant I was working at and tried to leave without paying for it,” said Johnny. “Then he told me, because I am a Christian, I don’t need the money because I have family in the U.S. sending it to me. I got so mad that I punched him in the face and knocked him down.”
As a result, Johnny was taken to prison, where he was interrogated and tortured because the agent said he was talking bad about Saddam’s regime.
Although his brothers posted his bail 12 days later, he vowed he would get out of Iraq and make a better life for himself no matter what he had to do.
“When I was in Iraq I was nothing because of the government,” said the 34-year-old. “I had no future there. There was nothing I could do.”
When he got out of prison Johnny obtained a fake passport and fled to Jordan, where he bought a fake visa in order to take a flight to Yugoslavia. From Yugoslavia he walked across the border to Hungary with a small group of people.
“We were captured in Hungary and put in a camp kind of like a jail,” he said. “They were going to do health examinations on us and other examinations which would have taken months, but I was in a hurry. Me, my nephew and two other guys escaped by jumping a fence of the camp. Once we got away we walked across the border to Austria where a charity made a meeting with the U.S. Consular for us.”
Johnny met with the consular at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria and told him his story.
“I received a phone call the next day and he [the consular] congratulated me on being a refugee to the United States,” he said with a smile. “I got a visa and took a flight to the United States on April 25, 2001, and went to Madison Heights, Mich., to live with my sisters.”
Shortly after arriving in the United States which Johnny refers to as his rebirth, he found a job in a bakery working with two of his cousins.
“I liked working at the bakery because I had family there, but I quit after a year because they didn’t know English,” he said. “I wanted to learn but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it there. I quit there and got a job at an Italian restaurant working with Americans and I started going to college to learn English and computer information science.”
From the end of 2002 until late 2004, Johnny studied English, through college classes and conversations with co-workers, until he heard about an opportunity to work in Iraq as a translator for the U.S. military.
After six months of screening, Johnny was chosen for the position.
Arriving in Iraq April 30, he is proud to be back to see how his country has improved.
“This is a really good experience for me,” he said. “I am so happy they got rid of Saddam. After 35 years of destroying the country, it will take time to be rebuilt. Everybody is happy, but many are still scared because of the insurgents. I can see that they want to help the Americans but they are afraid to do it because of the insurgents.”
Looking back on his long road to the United States, and back to Iraq, Johnny has no regrets.
“I think it was all worth it,” he said. “I would do it all over again in a second if I had to. I want to thank every American who came here and left their country to help the Iraqi people. I really appreciate that.”
Ellie