Meet The South African Woman Who Joined The United States Army. Nontobeko Farrell went away from South Africa in 2010 for an au-pairing position in the United States of America.
Nontobeko Farrell went away from South Africa in 2010 for an au-pairing position in the United States of America. However, she didn’t anticipate herself being part of the United States of America army after 10 years. The lady told ‘TimesLive’ about the road that led to her being in the army.
She states that the au-pairing job came after she had detoured from her original plan of being at the University of Pretoria. By the time, when she was a 19-year-old, she got on a plane that went to the United States of America, with the hopes of starting a new life for herself. Nontobeko Farrell says, “I didn’t plan to come here. I had planned to go to the University of Pretoria but then I just switched. I lived with an amazing host family. The programme I was on was initially for a year and [it gave me an option] to extend for a second year,” says Nontobeko Farrell.
After her second year of being an au-pair, the host family chose to contribute to her stay at the United States of America, the family also chose to pay for her courses. While she was studying, she thought of being in the army but thought that wouldn’t be possible. She then met with her husband, who was in the military. She and her husband got married, which made her an army wife. Once she got to see the United States of America military her desire to be a part of it was filled up.
She says that she loves the benefits of being in the army and how the army was working. Once her child was 18 months old, she took the choice of sending the child to her family in South Africa. This was because she had to undergo an intensive military training for six months. In 2018 she was sworn into the United States of America military. She was given the uniform after she was done with training. She is currentlty studying to be a civil affairs officer. She says that even though she loves South Africa, she never thought of joining the military.
“I am South African and it hurts me to say that[the SA military] has not been portrayed the same way in SA. It’s not enticing. It’s not portrayed as enticing. I don’t think I would have joined the SA military force [had I remained in SA]. In America it is a high honour. When people see you in your uniform, or when you take out your card at the airport people will say ‘thank you for your service’,” says Nontobeko Farrell.
by Alexandra Ramaite
