Chaplain David Waweru, originally of Nairobi, Kenya, now serving as the brigade chaplain for the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, takes a moment to pray during a religious ceremony at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.

You may have guessed by his accent that Chaplain (Maj.) David Waweru is not native to the United States of America. But, where is he from? How did he find himself serving in the U.S. Army and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom?

“I was born and raised in Kenya, Africa, in a small village about 20 miles west of the capital city of Nairobi,” Waweru, the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade chaplain. “I went to primary school in the village and later went to high school in Nairobi.”

Waweru, now a resident in Harker Heights, Texas, said after graduating high school, he began working for local church organizations. One job in particular, he said, jumps out at him as the most memorable.

“The job that really stands out to me is when I worked for Campus Crusade for Christ,” Waweru said. “This job stands out to me because that is when I had a lot of time with American missionaries, and I believe that is where my interest in coming to the United States began.”

Waweru said he worked there for 2.5 years working with local church workers teaching them how to plan church services and build churches.

It was during his time with Campus Crusade where Waweru said he felt the call to become an ordained minister for his church, the Anglican Church in Kenya. He then left to begin school at the Bishop Kariuki Bible College in Kabete, Kenya, to train for ordained ministry.

While he was attending the college, Waweru said he met his wife, Christine, who was born in the United States, but raised in both the U.S. and Kenya. David and Christine had been attending the college for the same reason, to become ordained ministers.

He said they began getting to know each other and eventually started dating. However, their time together didn’t last as long as they would have liked.

“One year later, Christine was offered a scholarship for a school in the United States,” he said, “so, she took it and returned home to the United States to continue her education toward her bachelor’s degree in Christian ministry.”

Waweru, still in Kenya attending the Bishop Kariuki Bible College, continued his education and kept in touch with Christine through letters and phone calls every once in a while.

Waweru completed his degree at the Bible college and transferred to St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya, to obtain a bachelor’s in divinity. All through this time, David and Christine kept their relationship strong even though they were on opposite sides of the world.

“I think this time apart helped us build trust,” Waweru said, “and I feel this was good training that helped me in becoming a chaplain in the years to come.”

He also said he believes, even though he had no way of knowing at the time, this time apart was preparing him for his three combat deployments with the U.S. Army.

Christine returned to Kenya during David’s second year at St. Paul’s, and they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. On Dec. 3, 1988, David and Christine made their vows to each other and became husband and wife.

“We got ordained at the same time,” he said, “and began ministry together at the Anglican Church of Kenya.”

After a few years, the Waweru family picked up and came to the United States together and David continued to further his education at Princeton University, N.J., to obtain a master’s degree in theology.

“While I was at Princeton, I met a U.S. Army chaplain who was studying the same program. He and I became good friends during our time together, and throughout that friendship,” Waweru said, “I guess he was recruiting me into the chaplain’s corps.”

Upon graduation, Waweru said he faced two choices, to continue his ministries in the church, or to become a chaplain in the United States Army.

“I decided to try a new venture,” he said, “so I decided to become a United States Army chaplain.”

Waweru received his commission as a first lieutenant on July 4, 1994 and is is now a major on his third combat deployment, and his first to Afghanistan.

His first was to Iraq in 2005, followed by his second back to Iraq in 2007.

Today, he is in Afghanistan with the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, serving as the brigade chaplain on FOB Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.

His mission is to keep the soldiers of the brigade strong and help them through their times of trouble.

“It is never easy,” he said. “It is always hard to be away from family. With this being my third deployment, I have been better able to prepare myself and help others through my experiences.”

The chaplain wants soldiers to know if they need anything, he is here to help them.

“I offer encouragement and insight based on my experiences,” he said. “I encourage soldiers to work on their relationships while they are away from their families, and I encourage them to be spiritually fit.”

At the end of the day, Waweru is happy he made the decision to become a chaplain when he could have otherwise made the choice to minister in the church as a civilian.

“I enjoy my ministry in the Army,” he said, “I love soldiers, I love talking to soldiers, interacting with soldiers. I love being part of a bigger family than myself. We will suffer being away from our Families together, and we will pull through it together.”

Story by Spc. Darryl Montgomery
DVIDS

U.S. Army Reserve Cpl. Kwami Koto, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Civil Affairs team 4902 information manager, is a native of the Republic of Togo, Africa, and uses his experiences to engage with the people of Djibouti. Photo by Senior Airman Jarad Denton

It was during a recent civil affairs mission through Djibouti, Africa, that U.S. Army Reserve Corporal Kwami Koto was able to truly articulate his connection to this continent and its people.

“You see those kids playing soccer, barefoot,” the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Civil Affairs team 4902 information manager said to his team chief as their vehicle passed by children running around on a dirt field. “That used to be me.”

Koto, a resident of Denton, Texas, was born in the Republic of Togo, located in West Africa. In the wake of a military coup d’etat and cultural turmoil nearly 10 years ago, he and his wife fled their homeland as political refugees to seek asylum in the U.S.

“Human rights in Togo were being systematically violated,” he said. “As a journalist, I started writing about it – denouncing the military regime’s abuses.”

Koto and his family began to receive threats against their lives. He weighed his options carefully: stay in Togo and likely be killed while reporting on the unfolding situation, or flee to America. “I chose the latter.”

After coming to the United States, Koto went to work as a program manager for a marketing company. He attended graduate school in his free time, earning his master’s degree in journalism in the spring of 2005. Four years ago Koto decided to demonstrate his pride for his adoptive country; he became a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve.

“It is a pride not only for myself, but for my family – my parents and my entire hometown back in Togo,” he said. “They are all proud to have a son who serves in the most prestigious, and by far the best, Army in the world.”

The U.S. Army Reserve decided Koto was best suited to build relationships with villages and government leaders throughout the Horn of Africa. To him, the journey has been an astonishing one.

“Thirty-five years ago I was playing here as a kid – kicking an orange because we couldn’t afford a soccer ball,” he said as a proud smile grew on his face. “Now I wear the uniform of a U.S. Army soldier. I never could have imagined it years ago. It’s indescribable, the feeling I get when I travel to African villages and help bring about change.”

As an Army civil affairs soldier, Koto said returning to Africa has been a life-changing event for him.

“I had seen Americans before, when I was in Togo,” he said. “I learned English from a Peace Corps teacher. I never forgot those lessons or the interactions I had with the Americans. I make sure to treat the people I meet now the way I want them to remember me.”

Army civil affairs is responsible for assessing and engaging local leaders at both the village and government level. They build relationships with the people through a spirit of cooperation facilitated by African leaders.

U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Justin Lev, CJTF-HOA CAT 4902 chief, said having Koto on the team in Africa has been invaluable. “From day one, he’s been working with us on understanding the African people,” said Lev. “The reason we are able to work so well with them is because of Koto.”

Lev said Koto brings a unique perspective to their mission, and expresses his perspective on Africa’s potential.

“The African people are very resilient to live the way they live. They are happy with what they have,” said Koto. “However, I constantly wrestle with the way some of the African people accept their situation without trying to improve it. Every living thing has to grow and evolve. Africa, after 50 years of independence, is ready to move to the next stage of its development.”

Koto said African development must first begin with its people. An infrastructure cannot be built if the citizens are living in squalor. He said the first step is to build long-term, positive relationships with the people of Africa. Whether meeting with a village elder, partnering with locals to construct buildings or playing soccer with the children of Djibouti, Koto explained he would love for people in the United States. to see Africa the way he sees it.

“This is a land of opportunity,” he said. “Africa presents people with both an opportunity to help and an opportunity to learn. Just like all the opportunities we have in the United States – the ones here should not be taken for granted.”

Lev said working in civil affairs with Koto and seeing those opportunities presented on a daily basis, has changed the way he views the world.

“When we travel to these villages, we see real examples of people living in extreme poverty,” he said. “All of the standards we have in the United States don’t apply here, but the people are happy. It really shows that happiness is achievable no matter what you have or where you are.”

With another smile, Koto acknowledged what his commander had said. As an American, who earned his citizenship in February 2009, he has strong and passionate feelings for both his home and adopted countries.

“I love Africa,” he said. “I love it in the same way I love the United States – with my whole heart.”

Story by Senior Airman Jarad Denton
DVIDS

The Census Bureau has released the 2010 report on poverty in America.

It is difficult to discover anything but estimates on the number of non-citizens living in the United States. Some of these are legal residents. Others have overstayed visas or just crossed the border without documentation.

In its annual report, the Census Bureau attempts to estimate this data and the number of non-citizens living in poverty. These are estimates and could be off by hundreds of thousands. How does this happen?

• The 2010 Census, used to apportion the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as for many other uses reports that the population of the United States was 308,745,538.
• The Report on Poverty in the United States, on page 15, Table 4, shows a population of 305,688,000.
• The Census Bureau’s report titled Nativity Status and Citizenship in the United States: 2009 shows a U.S. population of 307,007,000.

Clearly, if the total population of the United States cannot be estimated and reported, the number of non-citizens is also variable. The 2009 report shows 21,671,000 non-citizens and the 2010 poverty report shows 21,403,000.

This series explores the data, and estimates, in the 2010 poverty report so those figures will be used. The term “Hispanic” is used as in the rest of the series, and is treated as a race for data analysis purposes.

Seven percent of the U.S. population are non-citizens, and 12.4% of those living in poverty are non-citizens. All of the racial categories of non-citizens have higher rates of poverty than the U.S. population as a whole.

Non-citizens in America by race 2010. Click on the chart for a larger image.

Non-citizens in America living in poverty 2010. Click on the chart for a larget image.

All charts were prepared from the data in the report by Charles Simmins.

First Lt. Gabriel Chol Deng endured many hardships as on the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” Today, he is a soldier assigned to the 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes

First Lt. Gabriel Chol Deng said he does not envy his fellow officers when they speak fondly of their childhood memories, but he does find himself having to walk away from those particular conversations.

Instead of enjoying a carefree youth and adolescence, Deng spent several years as an orphan separated from his family and as a guerrilla fighter in his native Sudan. He was one of the infamous, “Lost Boys of Sudan”, one of thousands of displaced boys whose youth was marred by violence, brutality and survival.

And while Deng admits it’s sometimes hard to remember those hardships of his past, he said he chooses not to dwell on them.

“I told myself if I can go through this, God would guard me and I can grow up. It was always the hopes and dreams of my parents that I would get through this.”

Deng was one of the 3,800 boys who were allowed to enter the United States under refugee status in 2001. After settling in the U.S., he went on to obtain a degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri and join the Army.

He is assigned to the 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, where he works in a variety of support elements, including working with the Combined Action Team, and pay agent for the Command Emergency Response Program.

The story of Deng and his fellow “Lost Boys” is well-known: more than 20,000 boys from Southern Sudan were forced to flee from their villages during a Civil War in their country. They faced many hardships, including disease, starvation, wild animal attacks and enemy soldiers as they walked more than 1,000 miles to safety at villages in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Deng, 32, said he was nine-years-old when his ordeal began. Sudan had long been divided into two separate nations where the Muslims occupied Northern Sudan, and the Christians were located primarily in the Southern region.

According to the website, “The Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan,” Northern Sudan sought to unite the country under Islamic rule, prompting Southern Sudan to rebel.

“The government was going through political difference, which intensified in 1983 when the Southern Sudan decided not to cooperate with the Northern government anymore,” he said.

Deng said from that point, the Southern Sudanese began fighting back, going to Ethiopia to train as guerilla fighters. By 1987, the guerillas had increased their numbers from 500 to 20,000 fighters, Deng said. At that point, they begin to use intimidation tactics on the southern villages.

Boys from the Southern were quickly recruited into the war effort, he said. “That’s when we were told by the government that all the boys in Southern Sudan were to be taken away from their villages and sent to the guerilla camps to train as fighters,” he said.

Deng said that he could not fight against his own people, and decided to flee. “You had to make a choice to either run away to where you believe is more secure or go back and fight against your own village,” he said. “We had some adults with us who said, ‘we don’t know where we’re going, but we’ll guide you all the way until you get to Ethiopia.’”

Deng said he left with the other boys for Ethiopia in 1987 and stayed there for five years. While there, he said if the boys who started getting taller were conscripted to join the guerilla fighters.

“I had an older brother with me who told me my father, uncle, and other two older brothers were fighting, so let’s wait until you grow up and turn will come,” he said.

The government was overthrown in the 1990s, Deng said. That is when he decided to go back to Southern Sudan. Heading back, he said he and his group ran across with a group of soldiers near a small town who warned there were government troops who were waiting for them ahead.

“We did not have weapons, and the town leader said they had weapons. So we got AK-47’s and from there we never gave them up,” he said.

Deng said it was at that point that the boys decided not to go back to the refugee camp or the village, opting instead to become guerilla fighters. He was 16-years-old, and spent several years fighting and enduring hardship, he said.

One of those hardships was the death of his brothers, Deng said.

“I thought they were just asleep in front of me,” he said. “I’m just sitting next to them, and all day long they would not wake up.”

He said some of the people who realized what actually happened took him away from the site where his brothers were laying; telling him to let them sleep and that they’d wake up at any time. “When I came back, their bodies were gone,” he said. “So I sat down there and waited for them to come back. Three days later, I realized what happened, so I just focused on myself and what to do.”

In 1995, Deng said he and 30 other fighters were told to attend school at a refugee camp with the purpose of returning to the battle. He and his group were ambushed by government troops while enroute to the camp.

“A grenade was thrown and some of the shrapnel went into my leg, and some in stomach,” he said.

Deng said many in the group were injured. They were taken to the refugee camp where they received medical attention. He also received an opportunity to attend school while there. Then in 1998, a representative from the U.S. arrived.

“He saw there were a lot of boys hanging around and then to the far side of the camp and found the girls over there,” he said.

Deng said one year later, the “Lost Boys of Sudan” project started, where medical experts were sent to the camp to interview the boys about their experiences as refugees. “They looked to see what experiences we had gone through, and decided if we send them to the states for help, it might help them,” he said.

“The Lost Boys” began arriving in the U.S. in December 2000. Deng himself finally arrived in the U.S. in May 2001. He said at the time he believed only white people lived in the U.S., so he was surprised to be greeted at the airport by a black person.

“He was light-skinned, and kept calling my name, but I wouldn’t respond back,” he said. “I started to walk away and he kept following me. I finally stopped and asked him why, and he told me he was my sponsor. But because he was light-skinned and shaved head, I thought he was Arab.”

The man took Deng to his church, where he began the slow process of re-building his life. He lived in an apartment with fellow Lost Boys and began to adjust to life in America.

Deng joined the Army in 2009, opting to go into support instead of the infantry. “I had already done infantry stuff, and I wanted to be a job where I could help people,” he said.

Deng said when he received his commission, he showed it to his fellow “Lost Boys,” which resulted in some of them joining the Army as well.

The Civil War in Sudan has ended, and the young lieutenant said eventually he wants to return to Sudan and help his people. The one thing he wants people and his fellow “Lost Boys” to learn from his story is faith and perseverance.

“Even though things were hard, I never lost focus on my dreams and goals,” he said. “My goal was to make my family proud and carry on our name. If you don’t let the past control you, you will make it.”

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes
DVIDS

Staff Sgt. Happiness Aghedo. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto

Staff Sgt. Happiness Aghedo never dreamed about joining the United States Army as a child.

Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, Aghedo, a logistician assigned to Headquarters Company, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said she had all she ever wanted in her birth country. One of twelve children, Aghedo grew up in a loving family that placed education as a high priority.

Aghedo was pursuing her degree in International Studies at Ambrose Ally University in Ekpomo, Nigeria, when she received jarring news.

She had the chance to go to America.

“Every year, Nigeria has a lottery for visas to the U.S.,” she said. “My uncle always played for me. When my number came up, my family was very excited, but I didn’t want to go.”

Aghedo had planned to finish her degree and work in her brother’s law firm. She never wanted to leave for America, but her family was insistent.

“They wanted me to go to America,” she said. “They said I would go to America to go to school and come back home.”

Aghedo moved to New York to live with her aunt, who immediately told her to get a job, and for six months, she worked at a fast food establishment.

“My aunt thought it would be good for me,” Aghedo said. “It gave me a chance to learn the currency and the culture. In two to three months, I had become a shift manager and made lots of friends.”

It was during her time at the restaurant that she met an Army recruiter and her life would be changed.

As she was about to enroll in college, he convinced her to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

“I tried to fail it,” she said. “He told me I had to join the Army; that it was too good an opportunity for me.”

She prepared to come into the Army, but kept it from her family until after she signed the papers.

“My aunt was not happy,” Aghedo said. “She didn’t speak to me for a month. All hell broke loose when I told my parents. My mom was worried. They kept telling me that they did not send me to America to join the Army. They sent me to America to go to school.”

Never the less, Aghedo joined the Army in March 2003 and headed to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for basic training.

“It went well, but there was a lot of screaming,” she said. “I was the first one to get called for everything. It was crazy. I had to wear glasses and I didn’t talk much. A lot of the people thought because I was African that I was dumb. I understood everything. I was just scared.”

From a shy immigrant recruit, Aghedo’s military career has taken off. She graduated from Advanced Individual Training as an honor graduate, and accumulated rank rapidly and is scheduled to be promoted to sergeant first class after only seven years in the Army.

One of her biggest accomplishments, however, was earning her American citizenship in 2005.

“It felt really good to do it,” she said. “It felt like I had accomplished something.”

As an Army logistician, Aghedo is responsible for getting supplies to the Soldiers that need them.

“I love my job,” she said. “It involves a lot of headaches and a lot of stress, but I love it. I enjoy finding parts for the unit. I like getting into the system and locating what we need.

“At the end of the day, it makes you feel like you really accomplished something and helped people.”

During the 3rd HBCT’s current deployment to Iraq, Aghedo was asked to leave her comfort zone and work as a section sergeant in the 203rd BSB’s Support Operations.

“We took her out of the warehouse and placed her with our maintenance section, and she is doing exceptional,” said 1st Sgt. Demetrius Brown, Headquarters Company, 203rd BSB. “The products she is producing are being used at Fort Lee, Va., to train Soldiers. She is doing that well working outside of her job.”

Aghedo has worked so hard at learning her new role she often needs to be forced by Brown to go get lunch and dinner.

“It has been very challenging, but it has been good,” Aghedo said about her current job. “I had to learn about vehicles and vehicle maintenance. I feel the experience has made me a lot more well-rounded.”

Brown never doubted that Aghedo would be successful with her new post.

“She is the best staff sergeant I have seen in 21 years,” he said. “Her work ethic is what sets her apart. She is totally committed to the mission. I give her multiple things to do, and she gets results. I hate to do it, but she is my go to person.”

Spc. Tiffany Thompson, a logistician assigned to Headquarters Company, 203rd BSB, enjoys working under Aghedo and is impressed with her leadership qualities.

“She taught me about being a professional,” said Thompson, a native of Buena Park, Calif. “She has taught me to exceed the standards and the importance of trying to learn as much as you can professionally. She can be very tough on me, but she is also very caring.”

Brown said Thompson isn’t the only person in his unit that feels that way about Aghedo.
“She is very humble and that is part of what draws leaders’ attention to her,” he said. “You couldn’t tell the level of her professionalism just looking at her. She isn’t someone that likes to draw attention to herself, but when you look at what she does she stands out. She is flexible and can handle anything that is given to her.”

Aghedo is looking forward to serving as an Army recruiter after her current deployment. “I enjoy being an NCO [non-commissioned officer],” she said. “I like taking care of people. I’ve always tried to prove myself. If you decide to be the best, you will be. I’m sure being a recruiter will be good.”

Aghedo’s military career is looking bright. She is looking forward to helping Soldiers achieve their goals and better their careers.

“For the last eight years I have been pushing myself,” she said. “My Soldiers think I work so hard because I’m African. I always say that has nothing to do with it. You get rewards from effort. I always ask, ‘What makes you think you can’t do it?’ You have to always try,no matter what.”

DVIDS