MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- In a small jungle in Africa, a 10-year-old boy was on an adventure with a few of his friends. As they were crossing the river, he stepped on what he thought was a rock, but the rock was a crocodile. It swung its tail, causing him to lose balance and find himself in a life-threatening situation. The crocodile had the boy’s legs in its mouth and was twisting and dragging him in the water.
“As the crocodile was trying to amputate my leg, one of my big friends held the reptile down and my other friends were beating it with sticks and stones,” said Recruit Paul W. Wangai, Platoon 1026, Company B, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment. “He finally released me from his mouth and I got away. If they hadn’t beaten him, I wouldn’t have survived. They saved my life.”
It was this life-threatening experience that gave Wangai, a Nairobi, Kenya, native, a drive to do more than others in his family did before him. He wanted to succeed and do something that would bring his family pride—Especially his mother.
“My mom worked very hard to save a lot of money that would help me come here,” said Wangai. “In Kenya most people don’t work at night, but my mom did. She had two jobs and would work on weekends too.”
His mother wanted to give Wangai, his older brother and his two cousins the opportunity to be successful by paying their way through school. According to Wangai, in Kenya, pre-primary to secondary education is not free and must be paid for by the families of the students.
While in secondary school, Wangai’s mother applied for a United States Permanent Resident Card for him. It took him five years to obtain his resident card after submitting the required documents to the government, he said. At age 17, after finishing school, Wansai came to the U.S.
“My brother came here two years before me to study medicine, but after I got here he went back to Kenya,” said Wangai.
Wangai stayed with his father who was living in Bolingbrook, Ill., and had been in the U.S. for 13 years.
“It was difficult finding a job here,” said Wangai. “When I thought of America before, I thought it was a free country and they live life large here. Most Kenyans think you make a lot of money here without struggling, but it’s a lot harder succeeding in America than I thought.”
After a couple years, Wangai got in touch with a friend, who knew a Kenyan in the Marines.
“The Kenyan had told my friend that when you join the Marines, it gives you a sense of belonging and pride. And at that moment, I felt something change in my heart,” said Wangai.
Since Wangai’s life was far from easy, it is important to him to help other people who may have been through what he experienced. He would love to get involved with humanitarian work, he said.
“It’s my goal to make lives better for everyone who crosses my path,” said 20-year-old Wangai. “I will do that by having a positive mental attitude and make them feel comfortable around me.”
Wangai admires how the Marine Corps carries their values very deep and will strive to live his life everyday demonstrating Corps’ values among everyone around him.
Since the beginning of recruit training, Wangai’s feelings toward America has increased. In addition, Wangai has noticed the Corps’ values have a much deeper meaning now than they did at the beginning of training.
“When he first got here, he wasn’t confident in himself,” said Staff Sgt. Mateo A. Gordon, senior drill instructor, Platoon 1026, Co. B. “He’s improved in that aspect. He is also dependable. I know I can count on him if I want something done. He is very obedient and he takes orders and gives orders when needed.”
Wangai’s has a heavy accent and is still learning English and his pronunciation has improved dramatically throughout recruit training. There were occasions he did not understand what the drill instructors were asking the recruits to do, but his peers helped Wangai through, Gordon said. “
My family has given me their full support,” said Wangai. “My family will be proud of me for making it big in their eyes and for making a difference.”
Wangai looks forward to his cousins and family members looking up to him as a Marine.
“I owe America for this opportunity because even though I worked hard to get here, being a Marine is an opportunity I would not want to lose,” said Wangai. “It’s a chance not many others have.”