Immigrant Airman comes full circle
by Staff Sgt. Paul R. Evans Air Force Expeditionary Center
11/6/2008 - FORT DIX, N.J. (AFNS) – Senior Airman Bassel Noori is deployed for the first time to Ali Base, Iraq. In a way, he said it’s like coming full circle with his origins.
“This is the first time I have taken a trip outside the United States, other than Canada, since I immigrated in 1995,” Airman Noori said. “From where my life began to coming here, it has been a complete turnaround.”
Airman Noori from the 6th Mission Support Group at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., is a Lebanese immigrant from Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Muslim and serves as a contingency skills-trained Airman fighting in the war on terrorism. Currently Airman Noori is deployed with the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at Ali Base.
His life has had many twists and turns. Airman Noori immigrated to the United States with his Afghani father, Lebanese mother and younger sister. For Airman Noori, he recalled it as a “huge culture shock,” but he has overcome one thing after another.
“My biggest struggle was with education,” Airman Noori said. “As a sophomore in high school, I didn’t have a language barrier. I could speak English. The struggle was with the attitude that American students have with their education; some took it seriously, and others didn’t, and to me that was shocking. As a Muslim, the Quran teaches us that education is extremely important because Allah (God) wants us to be able to read and interpret the Quran and write in our native Arabic language. Therefore, education was taught with a certain strictness that isn’t the same in America.”
In his junior year of high school, Airman Noori said he was more comfortable with the American way of life and became very active in extracurricular activates such as the French, Spanish and drama clubs.
On Sept. 11, 2001, he was studying at Western Michigan University when the terrorist attacks took place. He said he remembers the time vividly and the fear that came with it.
“My father got a lot of flak at work for being Muslim,” Airman Noori said. “They called him a variety of derogatory names for being Middle Eastern. It was very hard for him but he encouraged me to continue on.”
The fear generated from the attacks created stereotypical beliefs about Middle Eastern people, Airman Noori said. But he believed it was important to change those beliefs.
“It was more important for me to show that not all Muslims or Middle Easterners are terrorists. I had to set a good example to others like me,” Airman Noori said.
Despite receiving harassment from classmates, hearing negative reports and stereotypes from the media and general public, he was committed to his decision to continue the process for U.S. citizenship. In May 2002, he exchanged his Lebanese citizenship and swore his allegiance to the United States as a new American.
Airman Noori said his patriotism and love for the United States further spawned a desire to give back to his country. That was when he decided to join the Air Force in 2005 even though his parents were reluctant.
“My parents were apprehensive at first,” Airman Noori said. “They are now in full support of my decision because the Air Force has allowed me to continue my education in computer information systems. Plus, I get to help fight the war on terrorism.”
Reflecting on his Afghani origin, Airman Noori said his father has lost contact with some of his family back in Afghanistan. Even though some of them had fled Afghanistan to Iran to escape the Taliban, Airman Noori said he has other family members who are reported missing due to the Taliban oppression.
“It’s another reason why I am in the Air Force and deployed right now,” Airman Noori said. “I want to show no matter where you come from you can make a difference by doing something that’s larger than yourself. For me, it is serving in the Air Force and being deployed.”
Prior to deploying, Airman Noori trained in the Air Force Expeditionary Center’s Advanced Contingency Skills Training Course in August prior to h
is deployment. He said he came to the course unsure of what he was going to learn and initially was nervous about his deployment. That all changed when he graduated.
“Having gone through the course was a highlight in my Air Force career,” Airman Noori said. “The training I received in ACST has helped me feel more confident and prepared to expect the unexpected. This is a war zone and I feel that I at least have a basic knowledge of how to react to certain situations and potentially save a life, including mine.”
In ACST, Airman Noori learned convoy operations, patrolling and tactics, combat first aid, self defense, military operations in urban terrain and cross-cultural awareness. All of the training, he said, made him a better Airman for this momentous deployment in his career.
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