The 55-year-old US military veteran who was injured while working was awarded a Purple Heart this week, praised his self-report, after being ordered to federal immigration officials, according to multiple media reports.
Sae Joon Park, the owner of the green card and the father of two grown children, came to the US from Korea when she was seven years old. After joining his mother in Miami, the two moved to Los Angeles, where he spent the rest of his childhood, NPR reported.
After graduating from high school, Park joined the Army. He was deployed to Panama in 1989, where the US was involved in operations, an effort to overthrow Manuel Noriega’s administration.
One afternoon, a platoon in the park was attacked and fired, he was hit in the back by a gunshot from a Panama soldier.
He told NPR that he had begun experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder problems until after discharge, but at the time he had not realised that his mental health was something that caused painful symptoms that were self-treated with drugs.
Law enforcement caught up with him one night when he was arrested in New York for trying to buy crack cocaine. A few months later, he skipped the scheduled court hearing.
“I just couldn’t stay clean,” the veteran told NPR. “So when the judge finally told me, “Don’t go back to my court with dirty urine,” I knew, I was scared and released bail. ”
Sae Jun Park is seen in this undated photo. (Facebook)
The possession and bail charges meant that Park could not become a naturalized citizen or be saved from an exile order.
After serving in prison for three years, he said he lost all his desire to do drugs to NPR, and moved to Hawaii, where his family lived. The 55-year-old worked at a car dealership for 10 years, raising his son and daughter.
US immigration officers issued park removal orders after their release from prison, but allowed them to stay in the country as long as they attended regular check-in with federal agents.
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But that changed earlier this month when he was told by immigrants and customs enforcement officers that he would be detained and deported for not leaving himself.
The 55-year-old spent his final days enjoying time with his child and his 85-year-old mother, informing NPR that he is working to accept that it is probably the last time he will see her.
He doesn’t regret joining the army and being injured, but he told the outlet that it was part of his journey, but he said, “I can’t believe this is happening in America. It blows my mind like the country I fought.”
On June 23, the 55-year-old boarded a flight to a place he barely remembered, leaving behind the country he called his hometown.
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