New citizen proud to serve U.S.
Lehi lawyer, a former refugee, is heading to Iraq with Army
He's Chinese-Indonesian. He's Christian. He was once a political refugee. He's a college graduate. He's a practicing attorney. He's a husband and father of two.
And on Tuesday, he'll be an active soldier on his way to Iraq.
Kadarusman, along with about 450 other men and women from the 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, will be deployed Tuesday for a yearlong mission in Iraq.
"In a way, I'm excited about doing something new," Kadarusman said. "At the same time I feel nervous. It's a long separation. (But) overall, I feel very honored to get citizenship and get to serve the country."
Like all soldiers, Kadarusman will leave behind family and friends. But his story stands out because at one point not too long ago, Kadarusman wasn't even a U.S. citizen.
Born in Indonesia, Kadarusman grew up as an ostracized Chinese-Indonesian-Christian in predominantly Muslim Jakarta. His parents had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1974.
In 1991 he came to the United States on a student visa and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University-Hawaii.
"I had a dilemma," he said. "I can't go back, I can't stay."
Kadarusman traded in his ticket for a one-way flight to California where he applied for another work visa. A friend then suggested he apply for political asylum, which he did in October 1998.
Each Friday for months, he'd return to the immigration office to ask about results. By March he had lost hope and still hadn't been able to work legally.
"I don't have any money, I shipped out all my stuff, so I have nothing, really," he said.
With $20 in his bank account, Kadarusman began working in construction for cash. He said he still remembers that day in May when he got a certified letter announcing his asylum status had been granted.
"The difference between not having legal status and having legal status is like night and day," Kadarusman said.
Within a week he had a job at a bank and began saving money for law school.
He graduated from BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School in 2004. He had a degree, a wife and a year-old girl — but still no meaningful legal-related job.
"It was the hardest time in my life," said his wife, Seiko Shimada, who is Japanese. "He had to support a family, but even Lowe's didn't want to hire him with a law degree. He was overqualified. But he didn't care, he just wanted to work."
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