thedrifter
09-07-08, 07:18 AM
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — Life in Iraq seemed like hell for Pvt. James Akhnana and his family. Iraqi soldiers invaded homes, doing what they pleased while religious groups fought each other.
His family wanted a safer life and they knew they would have to leave Iraq to find it.
“The country was too dangerous with Saddam and the rivaling clans,” said Akhnana, Platoon 3271, Company M. “Life was unfair there. If we had photos hung on our walls in our house, the largest picture had to be an image of Saddam. We had to idolize him.”
His family planned to move to America but first moved to Iran when Akhnana was four years old to save money.
His father had a college degree in electrical engineering and was able to earn enough money within six months to send his family to America.
Most of his family members settled in Illinois when they arrived in the states, except for his uncle, who lived in California and was a former commander in the Iraqi Army.
“My uncle started a business and was doing financially well for himself,” said Akhnana, 19. “He let us stay with him until we got on our feet.”
Soon after his family settled with their uncle, Akhnana’s father could not find a job. Instead, an electrical engineering job was available in Illinois, but was not as financially rewarding as before.
“America has been good to my family,” said Akhnana. “We found exactly what we wanted when we got here.”
Things seemed to be going well for Akhnana’s family until his father was laid off. Fortunately, he received six months severance pay.
Akhnana’s father began searching for another job. Three months into his search, his brother suggested that he could be a translator for the military in Iraq.
After a screening in Virginia, his father became an Arabic, Assyrian and English translator for the U.S. Army, and is currently serving in Iraq.
“My parents worked hard for the well-being of our family,” said Akhnana. “They made me into a strong person, so I felt like it was my responsibility to be successful.”
Akhnana thought about going to college after high school, but he did not want his parents to pay his way.
“I knew it was time to move on,” said Akhnana. “I had been mooching off my parents my whole life. We’ve been dealing with money since we got to America, and I did not want to give my parents more issues by paying for my college.”
As Akhnana pondered what he was going to do, his friends suggested he look into joining the military.
“I spoke with recruiters from all the branches,” said Akhnana. “The Army sounded like a good deal but my friends told me about the Marines.”
The friends who suggested military service were Marines themselves. They explained what the Marine Corps offered.
Akhnana visited a recruiter’s office, seeking more information. During that visit, he made his choice.
“The Marine Corps offered a deeper sense of pride and better training,” said Akhnana. “It looked like a great step forward in life that would give what I need to be successful.”
Akhnana broke the news to his family.
“Our mom freaked out when she heard,” said Jennifer Akhnana, his sister. “She knew that he would always be gone and would only visit sometimes. She had trouble letting go but eventually supported his decision.”
His sister also said she was shocked he made the choice because he was known for being the typical immature high school student.
“I think this will be a good thing for him,” said Jennifer.
His father also gave his blessing during a phone call from Iraq. Three weeks later, Akhnana enlisted in the Marine Corps and shipped to boot camp here June 9.
“I enjoyed boot camp a lot,” said Akhnana. “The Marine Corps seems like a good fit for me. I was interested in all the knowledge they crammed into my head.”
Akhnana said he enjoyed the environment of boot camp.
“He added to the character of the platoon, and without him, they would not be the unique group they are,” said Sgt. Christopher Boelzner, drill instructor, Platoon 3271.`
Boelzner, a Boston native, said Akhnana was self-motivating through the training cycle and said he will make a good Marine. He added that stress does not affect Akhnana, even with the hardships he has been through previous to training.
“The thought of going back to Iraq scared me,” said Akhnana. “The more I trained here, the more confident I became. We are trained to do what we do successfully, if necessary.”
Akhnana enlisted with a legal administration option for his interest in law. After leaving the depot today, he will return home for 10 days of boot camp leave before continuing training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.
His family wanted a safer life and they knew they would have to leave Iraq to find it.
“The country was too dangerous with Saddam and the rivaling clans,” said Akhnana, Platoon 3271, Company M. “Life was unfair there. If we had photos hung on our walls in our house, the largest picture had to be an image of Saddam. We had to idolize him.”
His family planned to move to America but first moved to Iran when Akhnana was four years old to save money.
His father had a college degree in electrical engineering and was able to earn enough money within six months to send his family to America.
Most of his family members settled in Illinois when they arrived in the states, except for his uncle, who lived in California and was a former commander in the Iraqi Army.
“My uncle started a business and was doing financially well for himself,” said Akhnana, 19. “He let us stay with him until we got on our feet.”
Soon after his family settled with their uncle, Akhnana’s father could not find a job. Instead, an electrical engineering job was available in Illinois, but was not as financially rewarding as before.
“America has been good to my family,” said Akhnana. “We found exactly what we wanted when we got here.”
Things seemed to be going well for Akhnana’s family until his father was laid off. Fortunately, he received six months severance pay.
Akhnana’s father began searching for another job. Three months into his search, his brother suggested that he could be a translator for the military in Iraq.
After a screening in Virginia, his father became an Arabic, Assyrian and English translator for the U.S. Army, and is currently serving in Iraq.
“My parents worked hard for the well-being of our family,” said Akhnana. “They made me into a strong person, so I felt like it was my responsibility to be successful.”
Akhnana thought about going to college after high school, but he did not want his parents to pay his way.
“I knew it was time to move on,” said Akhnana. “I had been mooching off my parents my whole life. We’ve been dealing with money since we got to America, and I did not want to give my parents more issues by paying for my college.”
As Akhnana pondered what he was going to do, his friends suggested he look into joining the military.
“I spoke with recruiters from all the branches,” said Akhnana. “The Army sounded like a good deal but my friends told me about the Marines.”
The friends who suggested military service were Marines themselves. They explained what the Marine Corps offered.
Akhnana visited a recruiter’s office, seeking more information. During that visit, he made his choice.
“The Marine Corps offered a deeper sense of pride and better training,” said Akhnana. “It looked like a great step forward in life that would give what I need to be successful.”
Akhnana broke the news to his family.
“Our mom freaked out when she heard,” said Jennifer Akhnana, his sister. “She knew that he would always be gone and would only visit sometimes. She had trouble letting go but eventually supported his decision.”
His sister also said she was shocked he made the choice because he was known for being the typical immature high school student.
“I think this will be a good thing for him,” said Jennifer.
His father also gave his blessing during a phone call from Iraq. Three weeks later, Akhnana enlisted in the Marine Corps and shipped to boot camp here June 9.
“I enjoyed boot camp a lot,” said Akhnana. “The Marine Corps seems like a good fit for me. I was interested in all the knowledge they crammed into my head.”
Akhnana said he enjoyed the environment of boot camp.
“He added to the character of the platoon, and without him, they would not be the unique group they are,” said Sgt. Christopher Boelzner, drill instructor, Platoon 3271.`
Boelzner, a Boston native, said Akhnana was self-motivating through the training cycle and said he will make a good Marine. He added that stress does not affect Akhnana, even with the hardships he has been through previous to training.
“The thought of going back to Iraq scared me,” said Akhnana. “The more I trained here, the more confident I became. We are trained to do what we do successfully, if necessary.”
Akhnana enlisted with a legal administration option for his interest in law. After leaving the depot today, he will return home for 10 days of boot camp leave before continuing training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.