WEBVTT 00:00.079 --> 00:03.230 I remember when I was five years old , 00:04.159 --> 00:06.460 we were in a refugee camp , really 00:06.469 --> 00:09.510 didn't have much food was pretty uh 00:09.520 --> 00:11.510 scares . Um 00:12.899 --> 00:16.120 We , we made it happen through refugee 00:16.129 --> 00:19.799 camp . I don't know how my parents um 00:19.899 --> 00:22.600 survive . Um I don't think it was that 00:22.610 --> 00:25.829 tough but we did receive um 00:26.530 --> 00:30.139 us , you know , assistance or 00:30.149 --> 00:33.939 aid however you wanna call it . Um 00:34.439 --> 00:38.250 And we were sponsored by my aunt and 00:38.259 --> 00:41.549 uncle who was already in the States in 00:41.560 --> 00:44.939 California . They had enough money uh 00:44.950 --> 00:47.117 in their account to sponsor us to show 00:47.117 --> 00:49.172 proof that they can sponsor us . And 00:49.172 --> 00:51.228 that was how we were able to come to 00:51.228 --> 00:54.799 America . Um So we left the refugee 00:54.810 --> 00:56.977 camp . I wanna say it's either Laos or 00:56.977 --> 00:59.088 Thailand . I can't remember off top , 00:59.088 --> 01:01.439 but I was five years old . I remember 01:01.450 --> 01:04.309 getting on a plane um and arriving in 01:04.319 --> 01:07.449 San Francisco Sfo International Airport . 01:07.529 --> 01:09.585 I remember it being cold . It was in 01:09.585 --> 01:11.585 December right before Christmas . I 01:11.585 --> 01:14.349 wanna say uh it was my father , mother 01:14.360 --> 01:17.919 myself being the oldest and my sister 01:17.970 --> 01:21.660 who was about three years old . And 01:21.669 --> 01:25.250 then my baby brother who was probably 01:25.260 --> 01:27.540 not even a year old So it was the five 01:27.550 --> 01:31.250 of us uh that left uh the 01:31.260 --> 01:35.169 refugee camp in Thailand and arrive 01:35.430 --> 01:39.370 in California in 1990 of right before 01:39.379 --> 01:42.529 Christmas . So the reason 01:42.540 --> 01:46.360 why I distinct Thailand and Laos is 01:46.370 --> 01:49.860 because I'm a little bit of both 01:49.989 --> 01:53.190 born in Thailand uh have a Laotian 01:53.199 --> 01:56.199 background . Parents are from 01:56.629 --> 02:00.290 uh Laos . I 02:00.300 --> 02:03.069 was conceived in Thailand . So the 02:03.080 --> 02:05.302 difference between Laos and Thailand is 02:05.302 --> 02:07.949 Laos is communist still to this day . 02:08.460 --> 02:12.289 And Thailand I would say is , 02:12.300 --> 02:16.059 is , is more uh democracy , a free 02:16.070 --> 02:18.710 country . Um Not saying that Laos isn't 02:18.720 --> 02:20.664 a free country . I don't know much 02:20.664 --> 02:22.831 about communism , but I just know that 02:22.831 --> 02:25.259 Laos is still a communist country and 02:26.210 --> 02:29.369 obviously the government uh 02:30.289 --> 02:33.300 is different between the two . I just 02:33.309 --> 02:35.476 remember being super poor when we went 02:35.476 --> 02:38.229 back to Laos um at a young age 02:38.990 --> 02:41.979 crossing the border uh and things like 02:41.990 --> 02:45.059 that . So Laos being super poor , 02:45.399 --> 02:48.229 Thailand being more lively , I remember 02:48.300 --> 02:51.570 having a television , you know , having 02:51.830 --> 02:55.479 clothes , um uh food was always there 02:55.490 --> 02:57.729 obviously for both countries . But I 02:57.740 --> 03:00.649 just remember life was a lot more 03:00.660 --> 03:02.827 different . I was , I remember being a 03:02.827 --> 03:05.059 lot happier in Thailand . I had 03:05.070 --> 03:08.139 everything I needed . Um My friends 03:08.149 --> 03:11.119 were in Thailand . So when I left 03:11.699 --> 03:14.369 Thailand , it was tough for me because 03:14.380 --> 03:17.699 I had to relearn 03:17.710 --> 03:20.610 Laos and a different dialect of Laos , 03:20.619 --> 03:22.786 which is the Kamut language , which is 03:22.786 --> 03:25.779 the native language uh of Laos . So I 03:25.789 --> 03:29.570 had to pretty much kind of learn a 03:29.580 --> 03:32.130 second language because Thai was my 03:32.139 --> 03:34.460 first language as a child up until I 03:34.470 --> 03:38.149 was five years old . So growing up in 03:38.160 --> 03:42.059 the US uh was , I guess a little tough 03:42.070 --> 03:44.149 at a young age because you had to 03:44.160 --> 03:47.600 relearn uh second language which is 03:47.610 --> 03:51.350 English . So I remember coming to the 03:51.360 --> 03:54.809 US , my aunt and uncle 03:55.179 --> 03:59.020 immediately put me or enrolled me in uh 03:59.039 --> 04:01.630 into kindergarten . So 04:03.300 --> 04:06.910 coming up , I had to learn 04:08.070 --> 04:12.039 two make friends while 04:12.050 --> 04:14.272 trying to pick up the second language . 04:14.272 --> 04:16.700 Um So it was tough , you know , I was 04:16.709 --> 04:20.420 bullied um at a young age because I 04:20.429 --> 04:24.179 couldn't understand what the other kids 04:24.190 --> 04:26.859 were saying to me . So I just remember 04:26.869 --> 04:29.091 crying a lot , you know , maybe I was a 04:29.091 --> 04:31.200 cry baby . I don't know , but it was 04:31.209 --> 04:33.209 tough because I felt like I was the 04:33.209 --> 04:36.959 only five year old in the 04:36.970 --> 04:40.670 class um trying to 04:40.679 --> 04:42.679 relate to everyone else . So I felt 04:42.679 --> 04:44.739 like an outcast pretty much . Um 04:44.750 --> 04:48.640 especially the food , I mean , 04:48.859 --> 04:51.137 the food that I was bringing to school . 04:51.290 --> 04:54.000 Um my parents would prep me , you know , 04:54.010 --> 04:57.609 fish uh or like jerky , 04:57.619 --> 05:00.059 dehydrated beef and rice , sticky rice 05:00.070 --> 05:03.019 is huge uh in my culture and you know , 05:03.029 --> 05:04.862 you eat with your hands , we use 05:04.862 --> 05:07.109 utensils . But when we're eating our 05:07.119 --> 05:09.230 sticky rice , it's primarily with our 05:09.230 --> 05:12.700 hands . So I i it was uh a culture 05:12.709 --> 05:16.420 shock coming from um you know , a third 05:16.429 --> 05:18.630 world country and into a first world 05:18.640 --> 05:22.269 country , having to learn uh 05:22.279 --> 05:24.670 the the language and 05:25.619 --> 05:28.529 understand um the new language , new 05:28.540 --> 05:30.651 culture was , was really tough for me 05:30.651 --> 05:34.279 coming up . So , so what influenced me 05:34.290 --> 05:36.549 to join the Marine Corps is uh I 05:36.559 --> 05:39.589 believe it was my father who joined 05:40.309 --> 05:44.040 the military at a very young age um 05:45.070 --> 05:47.649 and fought against communism . 05:48.450 --> 05:51.309 So I used his 05:51.630 --> 05:53.709 upbringing and his background 05:54.779 --> 05:58.209 so to join the Marine Corps 05:58.220 --> 06:00.940 myself . So I think it was my parents 06:01.369 --> 06:03.702 that influenced me to join the military . 06:04.350 --> 06:06.294 The reason why I joined the Marine 06:06.294 --> 06:10.029 Corps uh a year after high school . Uh 06:10.040 --> 06:13.480 One is because I was in the 06:13.489 --> 06:16.510 construction . Um I did landscaping , I 06:16.519 --> 06:20.119 did painting , I did sheet rock drywall , 06:20.130 --> 06:23.760 uh taping um the whole nine . So 06:24.140 --> 06:27.440 once I got laid off from my 06:27.589 --> 06:31.149 construction job , I didn't know what 06:31.160 --> 06:35.160 else to do . Um And sure 06:35.170 --> 06:38.660 enough , I went down to the nearby 06:38.670 --> 06:41.820 recruiting office , um thinking , you 06:41.829 --> 06:44.690 know , to join whatever branch would 06:44.700 --> 06:47.959 take me . And surprisingly , the Marine 06:47.970 --> 06:50.339 recruiter was the first one to approach 06:50.350 --> 06:52.600 me and pull me in his office and told 06:52.609 --> 06:54.053 me he was the Air Force . 06:57.670 --> 07:01.170 And here I am today . And what I've 07:01.179 --> 07:04.910 learned is that my culture 07:05.200 --> 07:07.450 and the Marine Corps culture , it's 07:07.459 --> 07:11.309 somewhat similar in , in a , 07:11.320 --> 07:14.579 in a way because we preach the 07:14.589 --> 07:17.910 brotherhood , the family . Uh That's 07:17.920 --> 07:19.720 what my culture is all about is 07:19.730 --> 07:23.059 brotherhood is family loyalty , loyalty 07:23.070 --> 07:25.850 is big for me . All Right . Once you 07:25.859 --> 07:29.079 show me love , I will forever 07:30.549 --> 07:33.769 show you love and some . So 07:35.000 --> 07:38.170 I think that's , that's what has helped 07:38.179 --> 07:40.779 me uh in my Marine Corps career is 07:40.790 --> 07:44.380 taking that culture that I know 07:45.089 --> 07:48.540 about being a family and applying that 07:48.640 --> 07:50.862 with the Marine Corps . And it's , it's 07:50.862 --> 07:52.862 worked for me since . So I treat my 07:52.862 --> 07:55.970 marines like I treat a family member . 07:56.220 --> 07:59.339 That makes sense . So how do I practice 07:59.350 --> 08:02.250 the two different uh culture today is 08:02.260 --> 08:04.309 they're similar . The country is 08:04.320 --> 08:08.179 literally connected . Laos and Thailand 08:09.019 --> 08:12.059 are borderline between one another . So 08:12.070 --> 08:15.899 they , they share this a very , 08:15.910 --> 08:19.589 very similar culture uh tradition . Uh 08:19.600 --> 08:23.089 Everything is , is pretty much the same . 08:23.100 --> 08:25.739 The language is a little different . Um 08:25.799 --> 08:28.021 But for the most part , the culture and 08:28.021 --> 08:30.250 tradition aren't the same . So the last 08:30.260 --> 08:33.270 time I visited Thailand was actually 08:33.510 --> 08:35.621 through the Marine Corps and that was 08:35.621 --> 08:39.219 back in 2009 . So I was on a , an 08:39.229 --> 08:41.830 exercise uh operation uh in the 08:41.840 --> 08:44.409 Philippines . And then from the 08:44.419 --> 08:46.780 Philippines , I went to Diego Garcia , 08:46.789 --> 08:49.690 Die Garcia . I ended up in Thailand and 08:49.710 --> 08:53.640 it was , I guess it 08:53.650 --> 08:55.650 was a very memorable moment because 08:55.650 --> 08:58.450 it's been so long since I , I came to 08:58.460 --> 09:00.739 the US . And finally , after so many 09:00.750 --> 09:04.559 years in 2009 , I get to 09:04.570 --> 09:07.289 Thailand , I literally got off the 09:07.299 --> 09:09.919 plane , kissed the ground , you know , 09:09.929 --> 09:13.440 and hope my motherland welcomed me . 09:13.640 --> 09:16.359 So didn't get to see any family because 09:17.109 --> 09:19.109 I just didn't think they would have 09:19.109 --> 09:21.510 time to come see or visit me where I 09:21.520 --> 09:25.330 was at the time . So the most 09:25.340 --> 09:29.190 memorable time for me while 09:29.200 --> 09:32.979 serving in the Indo Pacific is 09:32.989 --> 09:36.440 when I was in the 09:36.450 --> 09:39.830 Philippines in 2009 . Uh although it's 09:39.840 --> 09:42.280 not my home country , but I feel like 09:42.549 --> 09:44.840 the , the Philippines and the LA Ocean 09:44.849 --> 09:47.169 and Thai culture share a similar 09:47.179 --> 09:50.320 culture . Um So while I was in the 09:50.330 --> 09:53.409 Philippines , I was able to meet a , a 09:53.909 --> 09:57.859 poor lady and her Children uh 09:58.000 --> 10:02.000 reminded me of when I was young and 10:02.010 --> 10:05.989 poor uh lived in poverty with , with 10:06.000 --> 10:09.429 nothing pretty much receive help 10:09.440 --> 10:13.159 from the US . And I felt like I 10:13.169 --> 10:16.940 was , I can relate to the lady . Um And 10:16.950 --> 10:20.330 so I gave her everything I had um on me 10:20.820 --> 10:24.320 uh us dollar wise . And I felt like 10:24.549 --> 10:27.229 that was one of the most memorable uh 10:27.239 --> 10:29.479 time in my Marine Corps career was 10:29.489 --> 10:32.239 helping that lady and her Children with 10:32.250 --> 10:36.250 whatever I could . Um So they can , you 10:36.260 --> 10:38.371 know , take care of what they need to 10:38.371 --> 10:38.309 take care of .