Becoming an American in Iraq

It was a cold and dusty March morning as PFC Rajah Judah Noel Pascua Ello, HHC, 2-149th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) NBC Specialist from Little Elm, TX, walked into the Al Faw Palace for the day’s ceremony. 

On Mar. 3, the Al Faw Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, hosted the nationalization ceremony for the American service members receiving their citizenship.  PFC Ello is serving with was especially excited as he was also celebrating his 20th birthday just the day before.

PFC Rajah Ello was born Mar. 2, 1989 in the small town of Tagbilaran City, Bohol in the Philippines where he lived with his family.  At the age of three, PFC Ello moved in with his grandmother on the Island of Mindanao. 

“I remember my grandmother making me tsamporado,” Ello said. “It is a chocolate rice pudding snack that was my favorite.”

At the age of 10, Ello started training in the marshal art of Tae Kwon Do. 

After living with his grandmother for nine years, Ello moved in with his father in South Cotabato, Philippines where he started grade five at the Notre Dame of Marbel University.   However in the spring of 2001, wanting a better future for his family, Ello’s father moved to the United States to work as a nurse; leaving the family behind so Rajah could finish high school.

Completing high school at 17 in the summer of 2006, Rajah with the rest of the family moved to the Texas to join their father.   Upon his arrival into the States, Ello attempted to enter collage where he was told he was too young to enter college.  Ello would need to return to an American style high school and complete one year of school in the States to make his transcripts official.

Without any complaints, Ello completed his second senior year at Little Elm High in the spring of 2007.  In September of that year, he was looking for money for college and signed up to serve in the Texas Army National Guard.   Recruit Ello was excited as he left for basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he would complete his basic training and his Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Specialist training.

It was actually while at school, after seeing the freedoms his American counterparts were having, Rajah started having ideas of becoming a citizen.  Upon completion of his training Ello joined his present unit HHC 2-149th GSAB in Grand Prairie, TX.

Arriving to his first unit, PVT Ello’s first drill in the military was also the unit’s last phase of training before deploying to Iraq.  On his first drill and went to annual training in Camp Swift near Austin, TX, where the unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq.  Just out of school Rajah finds himself in Iraq serving as a supply assistant working along side his American brother and sister Soldiers finding himself wanting to become an American; so in November of 2008 Ello started the process of becoming an American. 

“I have enjoyed working with PFC Ello for the last few months; he has been working hard studying to become a citizen,” said SPC Ruby Montoya, HHC 2-149th GSAB Supply Specialist.  “I think the military has given him a great opportunity to become an American while here in theater.”

After twenty years of being Philippino, PFC Ello walked into the Al Faw Palace for the day’s ceremony.  Ello took a few moments to reflect on the importance and blessings of becoming an American.  He is very proud to be from his home land, now he is looking forward to his dual citizenship. 

Then with around 250 other Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines from around the world; they all raised their right hands, not to serve the country as it’s military as they had done before, but to become American patriots of freedom.

By Sgt. Edward Thorne
HHC 2-149 GSAB Unit Public Affairs Representative
4 March 2009