FORT LEE, Va. (April 2, 2015) -- As a boy, Staff Sgt. Michel Camacho sang songs glorifying communism and its leaders each day at school.
"Just like any other Cuban child, I was indoctrinated by the communist system," said Camacho, who works as an instructor/writer at the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence. "Our history lessons taught me that oppression was actually good. Information from the outside world was very restricted in Cuba, but obviously, the older I got, the more I realized the truth."
Growing up in Cuba was difficult. According to Camacho, his young life was a constant struggle as bare necessities like food, soap and clothing were tough to find. Each morning brought new turmoil as he dealt with constant oppression from a totalitarian and controlling government that was ruled by a tyrant, he said.
"My mentality was just to make it through the day and worry about tomorrow the next day," he said. "There was no long-term plan for the future, at least, not in Cuba."
At 15 years old, Camacho made his first break for freedom -- traveling by raft through the Straights of Florida.
"I didn't get to see the lights of Florida, but we were far enough away from Cuba that we were in complete darkness," he said. "It was so dark I could barely see my hands. It was a rush of adrenaline, so we weren't aware how tired we were until we stopped paddling. That turned out to be a costly decision."
During the night, the sea currents had pushed them away from Florida and back toward the island.
"Seeing the lights of Cuba again was a heartbreaker," he said.
Camacho's and his fellow travelers were picked up early the next morning by the Cuban coast guard and returned. Because he was a minor, he was quickly released.
Camacho tried again to travel to Florida when he was 18 years old but was quickly caught by the Cuban police and arrested. He served three months for this attempt.
"(Being imprisoned) wasn't as bad as I was expecting," said Camacho of his experience. "It was like the staff members working in the penitentiary were so used to prisoners like me that they understood I wasn't a criminal; I just wanted freedom. They ended up releasing me because it was more costly to keep me locked up."
The mindset of most Cubans in regards to trying to escape changed over the years, said Camacho, and many people -- including his friends and family -- understood his attempts to leave his native country.
"Trying to leave Cuba is not an act of treason like it used to be in the peoples' eyes," he said. "Given the chance, everyone would try to flee Cuba one way or another because we were all in the same situation.
"It's all about how bad you want it and what are your resources to get it done," Camacho continued. "For me, it was all or nothing, and getting caught didn't change the way I felt about leaving nor did it slow me down one bit."
Around the time of Camacho's second attempted escape in 1994, many citizens began rioting in Cuba. To help appease the country, Fidel Castro, the country's president, worked with the United States to create a visa lottery system where up to 20,000 Cubans could leave the country annually and move to the U.S.
Several years later, Camacho's brother pulled him out of a trade school class. A postman had a letter to deliver that could only be received by Camacho, himself. That's when he found out he was one of the selected few.
"My older brother actually put our entire family in for the lottery, and honestly, I didn't even know about it," he said. "I never entered myself because I didn't believe in it. It was a surprise when I won, but no one else in my family or even any close friends were selected.
"That was the day my life changed," continued Camacho, "however, the year after was very stressful. I was blessed to be chosen, but I had to be very careful not to compromise my chances by getting into any kind of trouble, which is hard in Cuba because everyone has to do all kinds of illegal stuff just to cover the most basic necessities like feeding the family."
Camacho ended up waiting more than a year to leave Cuba, but finally departed in December of 1999. After his arrival to the states, he said he had a hard time finding a job and mostly bounced between restaurants, warehouses and being unemployed.
"I didn't get discouraged because I knew I had a future, and I just needed to find my true north," he said. "Little did I know, my true north would find me."
After seeing a newspaper ad that read "Work for the Army, call SSG Diaz," Camacho decided to respond although he wasn't aware it was a military recruitment advertisement. After 3-4 visits to the recruiting office, he said he decided to join as a food service specialist in January of 2003.
His future plans include staying in the military until retirement.
"I want to go as high in rank as I can and stay focused," Camacho said. "I want to keep improving myself technically and tactically, continue working on my business degree and to live the American dream while serving my country."
During an interview for Camacho's reenlistment, Lt. Col. Scott Kindberg, 266th Quartermaster Battalion commander, said he learned of the staff sergeant's unique story.
"I wanted to learn more about him before I signed off on his reenlistment," said Kindberg. "He told me the whole story about trying to escape from Cuba -- even traveling by raft once -- and I really thought his story was amazing.
"His resiliency really stood out to me," he continued. "He just kept trying until he made it to the United States."
Kindberg's battalion coordinates a bimonthly naturalization ceremony and, knowing Camacho's background, he asked him to share the story during a recent ceremony.
"When I talk to the new naturalized Soldiers/citizens, my main message to them is to think about everything they have endured to get to that moment because that's what is going to make them drive themselves to advance … to move forward and improve themselves as American citizens," Camacho said. "At the same time, I tell them not to take what they have for granted -- even the simple things like owning a car or having food in their refrigerator -- because those things aren't a given; they are a blessing. They shouldn't settle for what they have, but they should value it and be thankful every day for the freedoms they enjoy."
Although he is glad to be free from Cuba, Camacho admits that he misses it.
"I still have family and friends there who never got the chance to experience what I experienced once I left the island," he said. "I really hope things are different there, and regardless of my tribulations, growing up in Cuba made me the person I am today.
"However, even if I wasn't chosen for the lottery, I would have kept trying to leave Cuba until this very day -- there is no doubt in my mind about it," Camacho continued. "Looking back, I see that it was crazy to venture out like that and risk my life in such a way, but when you find yourself cornered and with little alternative, it was the only thing that makes sense."
(Editor's note: This is part one of a story series about naturalized citizens on Fort Lee. 1st Lt. Grant Berger, 266th Quartermaster Battalion, contributed to this article.)
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