Meet Leo del Aguila
Latino staffers at NPR share their family stories of perseverance, sacrifice, and hard work to achieve the American Dream. These stories are defined by universal values of pride, hope, and an endless determination to help shape the new American landscape.
I immigrated to the U.S. in 1971 as part of the State Department’s family reunification program.
My mother’s oldest sister and her family had moved to Washington, D.C. in the early 1960s. Their hurried move had been prompted by a devastating fire that left their two older kids with third-degree burns. Since the accident had taken place in military housing, her husband — a career Air Force officer — secured an emergency appointment as a military attaché to the Embassy of Peru.
At the time, the best trauma burn center in the Americas was at Walter Reed Military Hospital. The kids stayed there for treatment for the better part of nine years. My aunt and uncle rebuilt their life around medical appointments and new surroundings.
In late 1968, following General Velasco’s military coup in Peru, my uncle was called back to Lima. He resigned his diplomatic appointment and applied for and was granted asylum. Part of this deal facilitated the relocation of some family members to the U.S. My brother Dante and I were part of this group.
The original plan envisioned me finishing formal education and returning to Lima, but fate changed those plans. As a new U.S. resident, I had to register for the Selective Service and — lo and behold — was drafted into the military! A deferment could have been secured since I was preparing for university that fall in 1972, but after a year of living under my uncle’s strict rules I opted to strike out on my own via the U.S. Army.
As a new U.S. resident, I had to register for the Selective Service and — lo and behold — was drafted into the military!
I am profoundly indebted for the opportunity bestowed upon my family to become part of this experiment called the United States of America.
