Terceira native becomes Lajes Political Affairs officer

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Mara Title
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Portugal --  "Measures impact of local, regional, national and global issues on mission; vital liaison to Portuguese Air Force leadership." This statement was taken from part of the job description for a 65th Air Base Wing Political Affairs officer at Lajes Field. Since 1946, this position has helped U.S. Air Force leadership foster extremely important ties with our Portuguese allies, enabling incredible beddown support for aircraft from around the globe. But for the first time in 66 years, the position is being held by a Terceira native, who dreamed as a boy of one day joining the world's greatest Air Force.

Capt. Rui Amaral, 65th Communications Squadron, lived in the area of Santa Luzia, and frequently came to Lajes Field as a boy with his father.

"My father was a car washer on base and always invited American friends over for dinner," said Amaral. "Most of my friends as a child were dependents of American military members stationed at Lajes."

At the time, T.V. was broadcasted over the airways rather than satellite, said Amaral, so he got a healthy dose of "Sesame Street" and "Electric Company". With all of the interaction he had with American life, he started considering the Air Force as a career.

"I heard once in high school that a high school student would be 70 percent more successful if he or she had some sort of notion of what to do after graduation, compared to those who didn't," said Amaral. "I thought to myself, 'Wow, I'm ahead of the ball game' because, I'd wanted to join the Air Force since I was 13 years old."

With social and monetary struggles in the Azores, Amaral was motivated to find a better life. Coming from a close-knit family, his parents were hesitant to let him go to the states on his own.

"But they believed in me," said Amaral, "So they opened the door to my life by letting me step onto that plane and chase my dreams."

The youngest of five, Amaral left his two sisters, two brothers, and parents behind and set off to complete three more years of high school in the states while he lived with different relatives.

Once finished, he went to the Military Entrance Processing Station in Butte, Mont. But according to Amaral, with only a green card, he was very limited on job options, because he didn't have a clearance. Nevertheless, as an Airman Basic he reached his first base, Whiteman AFB, in mid-1993, "Which was the home of the--at that time--brand new B-2 Stealth Bomber," said Amaral.

It took him three years just to apply for U.S. citizenship; in the meantime, he volunteered for a deployment to Saudi Arabia. After he received his citizenship paperwork in the Air Force Personnel System, he received orders to Misawa Air Base, Japan, to work in intelligence.
"Suddenly, my security clearance went from nothing to Top Secret," he said.

However, not long after, he was faced with terrible news.

"My flight commander notified me that my father had passed away," said Amaral. "That was probably the most devastating and unexpected piece of information I've ever received."
But his father's passing caused him to re-think his priorities in life.

"I had let seven years of my military career go by, and lost focus of what I really wanted, which was to become an officer and have my father pin on my bars," said Amaral.

Amaral was then assigned to Lackland Air Force Base, and started working on a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. According to Amaral, he gave himself an ultimatum...if he didn't get accepted to Officer Training School, he would separate from the Air Force. During this time, he also met his wife, Aurora.

Although he did get selected and commissioned from OTS, the accomplishment was bittersweet.

"I took the second lieutenant bars pinned on by my mother and wife and placed them on my father's grave stone," he said. "So my father taught me an important lesson in life even after he passed away--don't procrastinate on your dreams or have fear of them--if it's meant to be, it will happen."

After commissioning, Amaral completed his master's degree while he worked as a communications officer at Shaw Air Force Base, and during a deployment to Qatar.

According to Amaral, just five days after he graduated from school, he received "a curious e-mail from the Air Force Academy, stating they needed Portuguese instructors, and I'd been identified as speaking the language."

Now that he'd gotten his master's degree, he was eligible for the teaching position.
"I was curious and called," said Amaral. "They did a courtesy interview with me and after that did a by-name pull to the Academy."

He taught for three years as an "Assistant Professor of Portuguese/Spanish". He was able to visit Brazil, Portugal and Cabo Verde with the cadets, which he said was also a learning experience for him. Following his assignment at the Academy, after 18 years of trying, he finally got his wish of getting orders to Lajes Field.

He initially filled the position of flight commander at the 65th Communications Squadron, but not too long after, was chosen to work in the Political Affairs office. He's come a long way to get where he is, but he's stronger because of the journey.

"I've had folks discourage me from trying to better my life--people tried to say I wasn't good enough," said Amaral. "I would take it as a personal challenge, and the next day I would double my efforts to succeed. It always helps to have a family that believes in you and supports you as well," he said.

Amaral's sister also served in the Air Force, and separated as a senior airman. All of the males in his family served in the Portuguese Army.

His life experiences as an enlisted member and officer, as well as Portuguese local national, have prepared him well for his present position.

"Having a family that had such interaction with the base and living amongst the community makes for a great cultural background," said Amaral. "I still have folks come to me and tell me they remember me as a child."

He also had some interaction with the Portuguese air force when he taught at the Air Force Academy, which he says gave him some insight on how it works.

Although Amaral is content with his life right now, he remains humble, with an infectious can-do attitude.

"If a kid from an island roughly 18 by 10.8 miles long in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean can immigrate to the states, serve in the greatest Air Force in the world, find his soul mate, get commissioned and 18 years later return to his hometown and serve as a Political Affairs Officer, then I'm willing to bet you can reach your goals, too."

So 27 years after he told himself he wanted to join the U.S. Air Force, he's living the dream.