1 00:00:01,929 --> 00:00:05,139 Every airman has a story , one of 2 00:00:05,150 --> 00:00:08,039 courage and valor or one of self 3 00:00:08,050 --> 00:00:11,229 discovery and freedom . But this 4 00:00:11,239 --> 00:00:14,729 journey began nearly 6600 miles away in 5 00:00:14,739 --> 00:00:17,072 a small village in Egypt called um Kair . 6 00:00:17,180 --> 00:00:20,190 Where now airman first class Yosri Zaki 7 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:22,799 was born in Egypt . I grew up in a 8 00:00:22,809 --> 00:00:25,600 small village in a small school , small 9 00:00:25,610 --> 00:00:27,709 church , small , small everything . 10 00:00:27,899 --> 00:00:30,200 This village thousands of miles away 11 00:00:30,209 --> 00:00:32,265 would actually become the place that 12 00:00:32,265 --> 00:00:34,265 Zaki would get his first glimpse of 13 00:00:34,265 --> 00:00:36,487 America . I had like I had the American 14 00:00:36,487 --> 00:00:39,459 dreams since I was like so young . The 15 00:00:39,470 --> 00:00:41,248 usual I , I watch like American 16 00:00:41,248 --> 00:00:43,459 channels . I was watching like uh 17 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,007 American movies . I would , I love the 18 00:00:46,007 --> 00:00:48,529 TV shows . I like , like friends die 19 00:00:48,540 --> 00:00:50,889 hard , the movies you hang in there , 20 00:00:51,209 --> 00:00:53,509 all the American news and politics , 21 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,069 economy , everything . I I was a big 22 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,136 fan of like , how is the freedom and 23 00:00:58,136 --> 00:01:00,136 democracy ? Why , why , why I can't 24 00:01:00,136 --> 00:01:01,913 live this life one day . So the 25 00:01:01,919 --> 00:01:04,030 teenager applied for a program run by 26 00:01:04,030 --> 00:01:05,975 the US State Department called the 27 00:01:05,975 --> 00:01:07,863 Diversity Visa Program . When Zay 28 00:01:07,900 --> 00:01:09,678 didn't initially hear back , he 29 00:01:09,678 --> 00:01:11,733 persisted in school going to college 30 00:01:11,733 --> 00:01:13,733 for accounting , computer science . 31 00:01:13,733 --> 00:01:15,844 Then education in Egypt . It's normal 32 00:01:15,844 --> 00:01:18,425 to do two or three jobs . So I was in 33 00:01:18,434 --> 00:01:20,323 the morning as a teacher . In the 34 00:01:20,323 --> 00:01:22,434 afternoon , I was , uh , working as a 35 00:01:22,434 --> 00:01:24,490 pharmacy technician . My school even 36 00:01:24,490 --> 00:01:26,712 didn't have a computer . I was pretty , 37 00:01:26,712 --> 00:01:28,767 like that is a computer . He applied 38 00:01:28,767 --> 00:01:31,045 year after year for more than 12 years . 39 00:01:31,045 --> 00:01:33,254 And in 2015 , a friend with letter in 40 00:01:33,264 --> 00:01:36,345 hand , knocked at his door , the person 41 00:01:36,355 --> 00:01:38,577 who filled out the application for me , 42 00:01:38,577 --> 00:01:40,805 he came by my house at three o'clock 43 00:01:40,815 --> 00:01:43,084 and told me , hey , congratulations . 44 00:01:43,095 --> 00:01:45,262 You're going to America . You want the 45 00:01:45,262 --> 00:01:47,428 the visa ? I felt like my dream become 46 00:01:47,428 --> 00:01:50,300 true . Oh , wow , this is gonna change 47 00:01:50,309 --> 00:01:52,699 my whole life . But moving around the 48 00:01:52,709 --> 00:01:54,876 world to pursue his American dream was 49 00:01:54,876 --> 00:01:57,470 bittersweet . Being the oldest son 50 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,702 meant he was the support system for the 51 00:01:59,702 --> 00:02:02,059 family support that was now leaving . 52 00:02:02,209 --> 00:02:04,319 So you like you like you like the 53 00:02:04,330 --> 00:02:07,529 backbone of the family ? It's like they 54 00:02:07,540 --> 00:02:11,470 lost their support . Nevertheless , 55 00:02:11,479 --> 00:02:13,590 Zay moved his pregnant wife and young 56 00:02:13,590 --> 00:02:15,590 daughter to the town of Niceville , 57 00:02:15,590 --> 00:02:18,929 Florida . But Zaki soon realized that 58 00:02:18,940 --> 00:02:20,979 simply arriving in America did not 59 00:02:20,990 --> 00:02:23,160 necessarily equal the American dream 60 00:02:23,169 --> 00:02:25,113 because when you come here and you 61 00:02:25,113 --> 00:02:27,169 don't know language , you don't know 62 00:02:27,169 --> 00:02:29,280 rules , you don't know anything , you 63 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:29,119 don't have money , you don't have a 64 00:02:29,130 --> 00:02:31,350 place , you very much don't have 65 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,520 anything . So Zaki decided to do 66 00:02:33,529 --> 00:02:35,809 something that only 1% of Americans do 67 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:40,410 serve . He joined the 68 00:02:40,419 --> 00:02:42,475 US Air Force Reserve and serves as a 69 00:02:42,475 --> 00:02:44,586 flight services technician in the 908 70 00:02:44,586 --> 00:02:46,530 air medical evacuation squadron at 71 00:02:46,530 --> 00:02:48,641 Maxwell Air Force Base . Most of us , 72 00:02:48,641 --> 00:02:50,697 you know , who lived here all of our 73 00:02:50,697 --> 00:02:52,660 life , we take on this mantle of 74 00:02:52,669 --> 00:02:54,910 service . He takes it to a next level 75 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,030 and you can , you can sense it in his 76 00:02:57,030 --> 00:02:59,363 being because he came here and you know , 77 00:02:59,363 --> 00:03:01,419 it's my honor and privilege to serve 78 00:03:01,419 --> 00:03:03,308 this country . He has given me an 79 00:03:03,308 --> 00:03:05,419 opportunity to do something different 80 00:03:05,419 --> 00:03:07,641 from where I was . Individuals that are 81 00:03:07,641 --> 00:03:07,630 surrounded by him can see that drive 82 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:09,861 and desire and sometimes then they step 83 00:03:09,861 --> 00:03:12,028 back and think are the challenges that 84 00:03:12,028 --> 00:03:13,917 we're going through in our life . 85 00:03:13,917 --> 00:03:16,139 Comparable when you have this young man 86 00:03:16,139 --> 00:03:18,139 who is coming here and had to do an 87 00:03:18,139 --> 00:03:20,910 extra um uh step or two to become a 88 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,179 citizen . Uh and then to see his drive 89 00:03:23,190 --> 00:03:25,309 and desire to become a active , full 90 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:27,320 fledged member of the Air Force A E 91 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,153 system , it's , it's like them . 92 00:03:29,153 --> 00:03:31,153 Something in our culture . We don't 93 00:03:31,153 --> 00:03:33,264 like to , we always say like we don't 94 00:03:33,264 --> 00:03:35,487 sleep . If you have a debt , if you are 95 00:03:35,487 --> 00:03:37,653 in debt , you're not supposed to sleep 96 00:03:37,653 --> 00:03:39,764 until you uh you pay back that , that 97 00:03:39,764 --> 00:03:41,764 debt . So I felt like I need to pay 98 00:03:41,764 --> 00:03:43,876 back something . So I thought wearing 99 00:03:43,876 --> 00:03:45,820 the uniform and serving the United 100 00:03:45,820 --> 00:03:48,210 States in the Air Force would be like 101 00:03:48,220 --> 00:03:50,970 the , the little I can pay back for the 102 00:03:50,979 --> 00:03:53,270 country who helped me a lot and support 103 00:03:53,279 --> 00:03:55,279 me in everything in every state and 104 00:03:55,279 --> 00:03:56,779 allow me to come here even 105 00:04:02,199 --> 00:04:04,255 for the nine oh eight airlift wing . 106 00:04:04,255 --> 00:04:06,477 I'm senior man , Austin Jackson Maxwell 107 00:04:06,477 --> 00:04:06,970 Air Force Base , Alabama .