My Brother's Story of Becoming an American

You know that rare moment when you first meet someone think, "I'm going to love him forever"?  No, not that kind of love.  The kind of love you have for a brother in Christ who shares your deepest convictions about God and Country and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with you for both.

Martin and I met Joseph Del Barrio, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, en route to march against the closing of the World War II Memorial this past October.  We are both so grateful we did.  We shared a lot that day- hopes, fears, prayers, tears and laughs.  Lots of laughs!  The next day we shared stories over breakfast.  I want to share one of them with you.

Joe is a naturalized citizen.  Having served in our military, he has a unique opinion regarding immigration and with his permission, I am sharing it with you here. I know your time is at a premium, but could you please read his story?  It would mean so much to me.

And Joe.

Thanks.

"Dear Rachel,

How is my new Sister?  Well, you asked me to recount and share my experiences in America and how they’ve shaped my view on the issue of illegal immigration.  So I thought I’d take some time to fulfill my promise to do so.  I’ll do my best not to make it too long.  I came to the U.S. when I was 5 years old in 1985.  My Dad came here a few years earlier from the Philippines on a workers visa.  My family in the Philippines including my Dad had experienced Marshal Law under the Marcos Regime. We’ve had family members disappear for speaking against the Marcos Regime.  That is the reason my Dad came here, to make a better life for us.  My Dad saved up a bunch of money, got his worker’s visa, and came here to the U.S. and started finding work in the hotel service field. 

Fast forward to the early 90’s while I was in high school.  My parents led my sister and I to believe we were U.S. citizens.  We in fact were not.  My Mom believed we were only going to live in the U.S. for a little while, earn some money, then move back to the Philippines.  My Dad it seems had other plans.  He would tell me stories of the corruption in the Philippines and how the U.S. was the place of opportunity. He said it was a place where your hard work would be rewarded and that you would only receive the amount you put in.  I grew up seeing my Dad putting 12 plus hours of work a day. Whether he was working as a hotel front desk manager or as a retail store manager, it didn’t matter. My Dad always worked hard and put 100% into every job he did.  For me at that time, I grew up like most kids born into this Country.  You’re happy to be here but you take it for granted. You go to school, play with your friends, but you don’t realize what a truly special place the U.S. is. That realization would only be solidified when I went to Iraq. More on that later.  I didn’t realize what freedom really was. I didn’t realize what our rights were under the Constitution.  I didn’t have a full understanding what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were.  I didn’t realize what it cost, in the form of blood, for all the things we take for granted.  I went on living my life totally oblivious to these things until my early years in high school when my parents told me we were going to Los Angeles to get our paperwork started for permanent residency.  It was a bit traumatizing for me to realize I wasn’t a U.S. citizen. I began to see all the things I took for granted. It was the beginning of my eyes being opened.

So we went through the long process of applying for permanent residency.  Once we received our permanent residency status we would have to wait four years before we could apply for citizenship.   During that time, I finished high school and got into college.  I got a job to pay for college and saved up to pay for the citizenship application process.  Having to go through the process of applying for citizenship enhanced my love of history. I began to learn on my own through life lessons and personal study, why this Country is so great.  I began to see and appreciate what America has given me and my family. I began to really fall in love with America.  This Country, to me, seemed to be the conduit which God used to bless me.  Here I was.  I had a job, school, a new and beautiful wife, a roof over my head, and a future.  I saw how much God, through this Country, provided for me.  Even though I wasn’t yet a citizen, this Country gave me so much.  I learned that I had many uncles who served in the U.S. Navy and earned citizenship through service.  I learned I had two uncles who died fighting alongside U.S. Servicemen against the Japanese in WWII.  They put their lives on the line in service to this great Country in order to gain something many take for granted. 

In 2003 I became a naturalized citizen.  It was a proud moment for me and although it was a long process, I wouldn’t have changed it because it really helped me to see what America was, what it provided me, and what it all truly means to be American.  So, shortly after I graduated college and earned my citizenship in 2003, I felt the need to give back to my Country.  I enlisted in the Army.  I went to Iraq in February 2005 until February 2006.  While I was there I saw some things that helped me to appreciate America even more.  There were families living in mud huts in the midst of a landfill.  There were kids playing in streets flooding with sewage.  There were people on the streets begging for food.  There were families being shot and killed because they didn’t want to live under the rule of dictator.  Many people to this day ask why we were over there.  For me first and foremost, I was there to give back to my Country.   Second, I was there to protect my teammates.  Third, I was there to help bring a bit of America to a place that didn’t know what it was to be free.  There’s something about wearing the uniform, going over to another country, and having some of the people come to you for help and look you in the eyes with appreciation.  Sometimes it was a simple ball point pen.  Sometimes it was a soccer ball for an Iraqi Policeman’s son.  Sometimes it was bandaging up a toddler’s wounded behind.  All the little things they were appreciative for while some Americans back home were complaining about their cell phones or not having the newest thing or gadget.  It all pales in comparison.  Those were the reasons we were there and I wouldn’t take back the time I spent over there.  When I came back stateside, I became a Special Agent with Army Criminal Investigation Division.  I started off my first two years working investigations until 2009 when I was reassigned to be a member of the Secretary of Defenses security detail.  I was blessed enough to serve two Secretaries of Defense who were both prior CIA Directors.  Only in America could a Filipino immigrant work his way from the bottom and end up in a place where he would routinely be wandering the halls of the Pentagon, frequently visit the White House, travel to different places around the globe to protect important people, be part of the team who protects one of the Nation’s most important men, and be witness to some of the events that would become part of our Nation’s history. I truly still sit back in shock at what this Country has provided. But what did America truly provide me? What it truly provided me was opportunity.  The opportunity to go to school,to work, to serve my Country, to make a better life for my family. It was up to me to decide what to do with that opportunity.  It was my decisions and actions paired with that opportunity that determined the outcome of my life thus far. We aren’t promised the ends, only the means.  We do with it the best we can according to our blessings and abilities and through God’s grace.

As far as illegal immigration is concerned there is one word that sticks out to me.  That word is ILLEGAL.  I truly don’t understand the gall proponents of illegal immigrants have when they say they have a right to be in this country.  How do you have the right to unlawfully come into a country then demand certain rights that many have died for?  How do you cut in front of the millions of LEGAL immigrants doing the right thing, following the law, and becoming a citizen the right way?  Try illegally immigrating to another country and see what happens.  I guarantee you it won’t be pretty. How does a person demand something that is not there’s to begin with?  It’s like waiting in line for food.  You save up some cash to pay for a good burger, wait in line, and place your order. Then when the cashier is grabbing your order from the rack, someone cuts in at the front of the line, grabs your burger from the back, and says they deserve it more because they’re hungry.  Guess what, there are people in line who are hungry too but they’re doing it the right way. They worked hard, put in the time, went through the process to do it according to the law.  A person coming here illegally does not deserve the right to demand citizenship for this Country.    Many people say, “oh, they haven’t done anything wrong, they just want to work”. Yes they have done something wrong, they came here ILLEGALLY!  They stole and are stealing an opportunity from another person or family LEGALLY waiting to get into the country.  My family and many other families did it and are doing it the right way.  The immigration system isn’t broken, it doesn’t need reforming, it’s just not being used.  Take it from a once Legal Immigrant turned U.S. Citizen.  No amnesty for illegal aliens whatsoever. GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!  Some people may take that as mean or uncaring. Not my problem. To me, they’re stealing opportunities from families like mine, families who did it the right way and are waiting for their opportunity to work their way from the bottom up. These families want to make something of themselves and in turn give back to this Country. To me that’s the same as stealing something tangible like gold or money from my pocket or food out of my mouth.  Turn the immigration system back on. Enforce the laws that are on the books. Secure the borders.  The rest will take care of its self.  Then again, that’s just the non-politically correct opinion of a proud American and an Iraqi War Vet.  It’s coming from a Citizen who knows what it means to be an American Citizen and knows now what it takes to earn the freedoms many Americans take for granted.  An American Citizen who loves his Country warts and all.  An American Citizen who will never apologize for the things that this Country did to become great. Well it looks as if I went way longer than I intended. Take care. I hope to see you, Martin, and Randy again in the near future.

Love you Sis,

Joe"