Why I serve: Guided by two families

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Austin Harvill
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  For many Airmen the reason they joined the Air Force is no longer the only reason they continue to serve.

Airman Abi Castro, 31st Operations Support Squadron airfield management apprentice, has already seen that change in the short time she’s been a part of the Air Force family.

“When I joined, I did it because of my parents. I wanted to take care of them financially as they got older,” she said. “Now, I realize there is so much more to the choice I made when I enlisted.”

Castro is from the Philippines. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a city girl. Castro said they worked day and night to provide their three children with a brighter future.

“I was the only child with baby photos because my parents couldn’t afford them for my siblings before me,” said Castro. “They spent what little money they had so I could have memories of my country. I am proud of my heritage, and that is due to their sacrifices.”

Castro’s parents set the foundation for her decision to enlist, but her two older siblings inadvertently cemented her decision, she said. Her brother pursued his passion for music and Castro’s sister patiently looked for her own calling in college. Although their paths differed, both of Castro’s siblings found themselves at the same finish line.

“My brother couldn’t make ends meet as a musician and my sister didn’t enjoy college, so he joined the Navy and she enlisted in the Army,” said Castro. “I always thought I would pursue my passion for tennis, but when both of them made the same choice to enlist, I started to second-guess myself.”

Seeing her two siblings, one passionate and the other patient, come to the same conclusion with their choices, Castro finally decided to sign on the dotted line herself.

“My brother told me he regretted not joining in his 20s, so he convinced me to join once I graduated high school,” said Castro. “In a way, my siblings played out the choices I had in front of me for my benefit. My parents provided a life for me to have a choice, unlike them; but my siblings gave me a head start through their experiences.”

Throughout basic and technical training, Castro said her family’s sacrifices gave her the strength to push through. Once she arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy, however, she faced a new challenge.

“Even though I wanted to join, I didn’t really know what I wanted from the military. I didn’t know what to work toward,” said Castro. “Without even realizing it, I started to work harder because I didn’t want to disappoint the people who had been strangers to me just a few months ago. I looked up to my bosses and had fun with my peers—I didn’t know that was part of the deal when I joined.”

For Castro, the word “family” began to take on new meaning.

“Back home, a lot of my friends were wandering through life, but I wasn’t. My friends and I both wear nametags, but I’m not just another name here,” said Castro. “I’m surrounded by people who deeply care about me even though none of us chose to be together at first. If that isn’t a family, I don’t know what is.”

Castro said she joined to give back to her parents for sacrificing so much, but in just a few years she has discovered she doesn’t have to do that alone.

“I was a poor girl from the Philippines when I was born, and now I maintain a flightline for fighter jets in Italy,” said Castro. “My parents and I are already planning their first of what we hope to be many visits so they can enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices. My coworkers want that too. I have no doubt I can pay my parents back, with interest, as long as I have support from my new Air Force family members.”