Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- Private Yasbad G. Ukbamichael, Platoon 1027, Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, moved from Mekell, Ethiopia, to the United States to experience the opportunities America offers.
However, the road to that new opportunity wasn’t simple for the 18-year-old Ukbamichael.
Shortly after he was born, he moved to Asmara, Ethiopia, with his mother and father.
“My parents split up during that time, so it was tough for my father to take care of me,” said the new Marine. “He works hard to provide and strives to make sure I go far in life.”
Ukbamichael’s father spent a large portion of his time working, so the young boy moved to Addis Abbab, Ethiopia, to live with his grandparents at the age of three. He was reunited with his fathe when he moved back to Mekell when he was eight.
Ukbamichael, recruited out of Recruit Station Sacramento, Calif., describes a simple lifestyle in Ethiopia.
For special occasions, such as birthdays, the Ethiopian culture drinks coffee to celebrate, explained Ukbamichael.
“There are not a lot of cars and there is only one T.V channel to watch,” said Ukbamichael. “Since there are many languages in Ethiopia, the news would play back to back in different languages so everyone could understand. Saturdays were my favorite when I was little, because that’s when the kid shows would come on.”
Ukbamichael explains that while the life was simple, it did not come without with hardship.
“My father wasn’t wealthy, but we lived a middle-class lifestyle,” said Ukbamichael. “When I moved back with my father, he remarried and then started building a house on the outskirts of the city where we started living.”
Although Ukbamichael and his family were starting to settle into their new home, he had a baby sister on the way and his father decided it would be best to move to a place with more opportunity.
Ukbamichael, 11 years old at the time, moved to America with his family to start a new beginning. He was excited to see what the United States had to offer, but found a difficult challenge when first arriving.
“Learning to speak English was very difficult at first,” said Ukbamichael. “My father insisted that I studied the language hard by reading books at the library. I would come home with a bag full of books every week until I fluently learned the language, along with watching movies with the subtitles.”
As a requirement to begin seventh grade, he had to take a test to ensure he was ready to start.
“On one portion of the test, I had to match words to pictures such as the word ‘book’ to a picture of a book,” said Ukbamichael. “My dad laughed at me for a long time because I matched newspaper with something not even close,” he said laughingly.
By the time Ukbamichael was in eighth grade, he read more books than the rest of the students in school.
“My dad is really strict on education and wants the best for his kids,” said Ukbamichael. “He always said I should become a doctor, lawyer or anything that is a good degree.”
Ukbamichael kept good grades through school, and even after graduation of high school he was accepted to college, but he felt the need to serve the country that gave him the tools to write his own future.
“I want to serve the country that has been so good to me and given me many opportunites,” said Ukbamichael. “The Marine Corps offers a lot such as free education, so I decided to start my career path by serving as a United States Marine.”
He believes the Marine Corps will give him the tools to set up his future.
“It’s a paying job that will teach me values and leadership,” said Ukbamichael. “It supplies adventure and challenges not many people get to experience.”
He has now earned the title Marine after three months of recruit training and finishing the Crucible, where he received his Eagle, Globe and Anchor.
“Once the Eagle, Globe and Anchor was placed into my hand, and I realized I was a Marine, it was a burning sensation of pride inside of me,” said Ukbamichael. “Making my way up the Reaper my legs felt like giving out, but I just kept pushing forward to the top to earn my right to be called a Marine.”
Ukbamichael explains the drill instructor who placed the Eagle, Globe and Anchor in his hand made the feeling that much more special.
“As he placed into my palm, he said this is why the Marine Corps is so special. Marines like you, from other countries, are here to serve and protect with brothers in arms.” said Ukbamichael.
Now that he has become a Marine, he will take a well-earned 10 days of leave before furthering his training at School of Infantry on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton for combat training and then on to learn his military occupational specialty as an amphibious assault crew member.