Aim for the sky
Trent Reedy
You ever meet one of those broke guys who’s always complaining about how “the system” is so unfair, guys who’d rather wallow in helpless victimhood than take active steps to improve their lives? Under its current leadership, the U.S. military has its problems. Yet for those looking for a good start in life, the military remains a great option. I recently met with Air Force Staff Sgt. Gwen Briggs, who refused that loser victim mentality and exemplifies the American can-do spirit.
Gwen was 25 in 2007 when she left Romania for a better life in America. She knew little English and joined her father, who lived in San Antonio. He had remarried, so Gwen stayed with family friends next door.
Movies had given Gwen the idea that all Americans carried guns (she was in Texas), so she feared being shot. She therefore never left the house without her father. But her father only had Sundays off. Going outside only once a week was too confining.
She tried to blend in with other Americans to avoid being shot. “I put on a loose T-shirt and slaggy pants,” she said in her heavy Romanian accent. “I wanted to try out on my own in the USA.” She went to the only interesting place she could reach on foot — Walgreens.
Gwen started looking for a job. But since she knew no English, nobody would hire her. She didn’t give up. The veteran with whom she’d been living had convinced her to try to enlist in the Air Force. She’d studied English with the Texas Driver Handbook to prepare for the pre-enlistment test. Eventually, she was hired at a laundry.
On her first day at the laundry, the Air Force recruiter called. “I have a job for you!”
“I already have job,” she replied.
“I have a real job for you. Get your stuff. I’m coming to get you.”
Air Force basic training was difficult for all airmen but especially for Gwen, who didn’t know English. Upon arrival, Gwen knew she was in trouble.
“The f*** is this? No books!” a training instructor said, throwing her English-Romanian dictionary on the floor. Training instructors screamed instructions, furious when she didn’t comply — until they realized she couldn’t understand them. Then the dictionary was returned.
Gwen learned everything in basic training by watching what others did and associating the action with the sound of the orders, a terrifying crash course in English and in Air Force life.
Often her ignorance of English caused trouble. Once in the chow hall, she carried her tray near the training instructors’ table, thinking, “I’ll show them I know my facing movements.” But when she executed the movement, all the instructors shouted, jumping to their feet.
“Stop right now!” one hollered.
“I knew they were not talking to me because I did the movement right,” Gwen said.
But as instructors screamed words she didn’t understand, she realized she’d done something wrong.
“Leave her alone!” one training instructor said. He knew she didn’t understand English. He later explained they didn’t do facing movements in the chow hall.
Air Force basic training requires passing a big written test. In English. This terrified Gwen. She studied but finally took the test next to a smart fellow airman. Their tests had the same questions but in a different order. Gwen peeked at her fellow airman’s work and figured out which answers went with which questions so she could pass.
Gwen has now served in the Air Force for 15 years. The service has brought her more opportunities than she would have had in Romania. It even introduced her to her husband.
Staff Sgt. Gwen Briggs had no advantages upon arrival in America, but she didn’t give up, blame “the system,” or expect others to take care of her. She worked hard, faced her fears, and served her new country with honor. In that way, she represents the best of America.
Trent Reedy, author of several books, including Enduring Freedom, served as a combat engineer in the Iowa National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
*Some names and call signs in this story may have been changed due to operational security or privacy concerns.