Proud to be an American Airman

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Smith
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  An Airman fulfilled his long time goal of becoming a literal American Airman when a judge swore him in as a legal citizen in San Antonio April 24.

Airman 1st Class Aziz N. Sarbashev, 17th Force Support Squadron personnel technician, and his family moved to America in his early teens from Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country in central Asia.

"It was a big culture shock," mentioned Sarbashev. "Even something as simple as a handshake being offered to me seemed like such a foreign gesture. Learning the language was also extremely tough. Back in Kyrgyzstan the only English words taught to me were: he, she, he's, she's, love, like and apple, and that was in the 10th grade."
 
For Sarbashev the long process of naturalization began in 2012, repeatedly with filling out forms, gathering documents and multiple trips down to San Antonio.

"I had to keep telling myself to stay patient," said Sarbashev. "And now that it's all over, it feels awesome to be able to say I'm an American."

While most Airmen are focused on career development courses, on-the-job-training, and earning their degree, Sarbashev spent his time studying U.S. history, government and language that he would need in order to pass his citizenship examination.

"I studied the test until I knew each question in and out," Sarbashev added. "When the time came to take the test I felt confident and got every answer correct."

Passing the 100 question exam and successfully completing an interview was only one step of the process. For Sarbashev, there were many other factors he had to consider. Under Section 328 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, service members like Sarbashev must meet numerous guidelines including: being able to read, write and speak basic English, being a person of good moral character, and having continuously resided in the United States for at least five years.

"The most important thing about citizenship for me is that I can now reenlist and deploy," said Sarbashev. "Now I feel like I can really serve the Air Force and my country."

Now that Sarbashev has his citizenship, he plans on finishing up the paperwork for his fiancé in Kyrgyzstan and using his personal experience with naturalization to help the process run much easier.