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
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Col. Walter Piatt (far left), commander, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, recognizes five of ten 3IBCT Soldiers who became naturalized U.S. citizens in March. From left: Sgt. Delfino Martinez, cannon crew member, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery; Pfc. Dennis Berrei David, cannon crew member, Btry. B, 3rd Bn., 7th FA; Pfc. Angel Climaco, supply specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Btry., 3rd Bn., 7th FA; Spc. Magdi Ahmed, interpreter/translator, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 3 IBCT; and Spc. Marlesh Mbory, interpreter/translator, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 3 IBCT. Photo by Staff Sgt. Tim Meyer

The two men — one a Christian from the south, the other a Muslim from the north — have nothing against each other, despite the past which tore their homeland of Sudan apart for more than 20 years during a civil war.

Today they are deployed together in Iraq with the U.S. Army, where they work with the same unit as interpreters. Despite Sudan’s violent, the two men share a bright future ““ both became naturalized U.S. citizens in a ceremony at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, March 3.

“I love my job, and I love my new country,” said Spc. Marlesh Mbory, an assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. “I’m grateful to be American.”

Now married with two children, Mbory moved to the United States in 2003 and settled in Lincoln, Nebraska, where thousands of former southern Sudanese citizens call home. However, his path was far from easy.

At the age of 18, Mbory’s step brother and uncle were killed in the second Sudanese Civil War. He fled from Sudan to the Congo where he lived for several months, and then to the Central African Republic for five years before finally immigrating to the U.S.

Mbory learned the French, Swahili, Arabic, Nigala, Sango and Moro languages in Africa. Upon arriving to America, Mbory’s 8-year-old daughter Lidia helped him learn English in Nebraska. He hesitated joining the U.S. Army because he didn’t want to leave Grace, his then-pregnant wife, alone at home. She persuaded him to go, and Munyo, their son, was born when Mbory was in initial entry training.

“I want to see the world peaceful in the future ““ that is my hope,” he said.

Mbory’s father, four brothers, and two sisters are still in Sudan; he is thinking of returning to visit them one day. After this deployment, he plans to work as a recruiter in Lincoln, to tell other Sudanese there of the positive advantages of joining the U.S. Army.

“I moved to the U.S. for freedom, for better opportunities, for a better life,” said Spc. Magdi Ahmed, assigned to the same unit. “Joining the Army gave me the opportunity to fix things that I saw with my eyes, but I couldn’t do anything about.”

Ahmed’s parents were from Sudan, but he was born in Saudi Arabia. After working at a railway station for nearly 20 years, Ahmed’s father was forcibly retired by the government and replaced by an employee who received less pay.

The family moved to Dongla, the capital of northern Sudan, where they lived for six years during the war. Although his parents were Sudanese, they were considered foreigners because they had lived in Saudi Arabia.

“I didn’t feel like an equal in Saudi Arabia or in Sudan,” he says. Even though he had Sudanese citizenship and was a resident there, he had to pay more for college, according to Ahmed, because he was born in Saudi Arabia, a rich country.

The college faculty intentionally gave him failing grades, because he didn’t agree with the government, according to Ahmed. In Sudan, although he suffered negative experiences ““ unfairness, discrimination, and corruption ““ Ahmed thinks of these things as positive now because they prepared him for moving to the United States.

“The U.S. was the only place you could go for justice. I couldn’t get justice from my own country. The struggle I felt in Saudi Arabia and in Sudan made me feel like the U.S. would be a better place to live,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed moved back to Saudi Arabia in 2005, and immigrated to the U.S. one year later. In Wisconsin a friend of his uncle’s helped Ahmed start a new life, and after one month, he had his own apartment and job.

Ahmed’s parents, five brothers and one sister live in Saudi Arabia, and other relatives of his still live in Sudan, where his uncle died during the war. Southern Sudan will become a separate country in 2011, and Mbory adds, “God is watching.”

Ten of the 251 Soldiers who became naturalized U.S. citizens in a ceremony at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, March 3, serve with the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. They are:

–Spc. Marlesh Mbory, interpreter/translator, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team

–Spc. Magdi Ahmed, interpreter/translator, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team

–Pfc. Dennis Berrei David, cannon crew member, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery

–Pfc. Angel Climaco, supply specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery

–Pfc. Leiry Elisa Dominguez Vargas, automated logistics specialist, D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment

–Sgt. Alfredo Floresreyes, team leader, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment

–Pfc. Allan Macaraeg, rifleman, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment

–Sgt. Delfino Martinez, cannon crew member, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery

–Spc. Dana Noori, interpreter, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion

–Spc. Michael Eluang, cavalry scout, 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment

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Story by Staff Sgt. Tim Meyer

Spc. Anderia Mayom, a linguist attached to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, received his U.S. Citizenship, Sept. 9, in Balad Air Force Base, Iraq. He has been a U.S. resident since July 2001 and a Soldier since Aug. 2005. Mayom, who was born in the war-torn country of Sudan, grew up dreaming of being a U.S. citizen and Soldier.

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Story and photos by Spc. John Crosby, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

The men and women of today’s all-volunteer force have many different reasons and motivations for joining. Whether it’s money for college, patriotism, or adventure, each individual’s choice is unique.

Spc. Anderia Mayom, a linguist attached to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., has always dreamed of becoming an American Soldier. To achieve this goal however, he had to confront many personal challenges.

Mayom was born in Panrieng, Sudan, during a time of civil war and unrest. His family of three sisters and two brothers, one whom fought in the war for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, were thrust into a chaotic world. Mayom’s mother was lost to the war when he was only two years old and his father at age eight.

It was after his father’s passing that Mayom left Sudan. He walked on foot with the International Committee of Red Cross for more than two months to reach the Panyuda refugee camp in Ethiopia.

Sadly, when civil war broke out in Ethiopia, not long after his arrival, Mayom was again uprooted and forced to walk an additional three months with a Red Cross escort to Kenya.

At 12 years old, death was no stranger to Mayom. He had seen people lost along his trip to disease, malnourishment, the war and even animal attacks.

Mayom felt a strong pull toward military service and wanted to join the same army his brother fought for, but was told he was too young to fight. Instead, he spent the next eight years of his life at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.

There he learned English and Arabic. He joined the Young Men of Sudan, a program that gives Sudanese refugees a chance to earn their American citizenship. On July 25, 2005, Mayom moved to Kansas City, Mo., where the Don Bosco Catholic Church organization provided him living accommodations for three months until he could get on his feet.

Mayom never had a problem meeting new people. His first American friend, Richard Berry, showed him around the city and taught him about American culture. Berry also introduced Mayom to his mother, father, sisters and a brother. They enjoyed family dinners together and talked about their plans for the future. Mayom told Berry and his family about his aspirations to become an American Soldier.

Within two months after arriving in the States, Mayom had a job on the kitchen staff of a hotel casino and found a three bedroom apartment he rented with four roommates. He enrolled at Penn Valley Community College part-time and studied English, psychology, politics and American history.

Mayom said several of his schoolmates were joining the Army Reserves and he decided to volunteer as well. He visited his local recruiter about enlisting as an infantryman.

Mayom’s experience and knowledge helped shaped his future career in the Army. With the ability to speak English, Arabic, several dialects of Swahili and Dinka as his native tongue, he was encouraged to pursue a career as a linguist.

After completing basic combat training, Mayom attended the Defense Institute of Language in San Antonio, Texas. While there, he agreed to transfer to active duty from the reserves. He graduated in Aug. 2006, and was assigned to the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade in Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

“It feels great to be with other people who have the same visions as I to be a Soldier,” Mayom said. “It’s great to complete something you think will be difficult, but you make it easy.”

Mayom was then attached to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash., and deployed to Iraq in April. Today he works with Recon Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment.

“When Mayom first arrived, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Sgt. 1st Class Winfree Steele, Mayom’s platoon sergeant, said. “I’ve worked with a couple interpreters before, but he is my first linguist. I wasn’t sure of his skills “¦ (but) he not only speaks the language, he understands the culture as well.

“He is a regular Soldier,” Steele continued. “He digs up weapons caches, conducts raids and clears houses with all of the other Soldiers. He doesn’t wait around to interpret; he does what all the other Soldiers do.”

Mayom recalled a question another Soldier asked him during an enemy mortar attack. The Soldier asked Mayom what he thought about the Army now and does he wish he would have joined the army in Africa instead.

Mayom replied that he is glad he joined the U.S. Army.

“If you have a love and a vision of freedom, you should be in this Army,” Mayom said. “In this Army, it’s not about what we can do to make America better. It’s about what we can do to make the world a better place. It’s the world’s Army. It has all the races of the world in it.”

Mayom plans to continue his education after he redeploys. He has a passion to learn about other cultures and people and wants to pursue college courses studying international relationships after he redeploys. Mayom also received his U.S. citizenship in a ceremony at Balad Air Force Base, Iraq, Sept. 9. His hard work and commitment to duty have earned the respect from all who work with him.

“Mayom is one of the best Soldiers and linguists I have ever worked with,” Steele said. “I’m glad he got his citizenship. He really deserves it.”

Although each Soldier has their own story to tell, Mayom’s story is one of perseverance, call to duty and personal courage. With a strong desire to serve and a hard road behind him, Mayom looks forward to a bright future serving in the Army he longed to be a part of.