Filipino Airman sets his sights high

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacque Lickteig
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  He left a career, his home country and some members of his family to become part of the bite behind America's bark.

Airman 1st Class Michael Dizon is an Airman-in-training at the 381st Training Squadron here, studying to become a dental technician. But he was much more than that before enlisting in the Air Force.

Airman Dizon grew up in Angeles City, Philippines, a small city about 10 minutes away from Clark Air Base.

Since he was raised in a medical family -- his father is a doctor, his mother is a nurse and his sister is training to become a medical technologist -- he followed suit and went to Centro Escolar University's College of Dentistry.

After six years of dental school -- two in pre-dental and four in dental proper and clinicals -- Airman Dizon graduated in March 2003 and earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine. He took and passed the national dental board exams in June that year, he said.

"After I finished there, I wanted to come to the U.S. to see what my future could be here," he said.

Airman Dizon already knew the opportunities available to him in the United States. He had spent his summer vacations, from March through June, in Houston, San Antonio and Beaumont, Texas, since he was a child.

Even though his parents are still married and together, his mother works in these Texas cities while his father lives in the Philippines. As the seasons changed, he and his two siblings changed homes, he said.

"There's a lot of economic hardship in the Philippines," he said. "Since it's a third-world country, it's hard to become successful there, and I wanted more than that for myself."

When he passed the board exam, Airman Dizon moved to San Antonio, where his mother currently lives, with his goals in mind and landed a job as a laboratory manager and assistant for an orthodontist in the area.

About a year into the job, he decided he wanted more.

He talked to an Air Force recruiter about being a dentist in the Air Force. The recruiter said he had all the qualifications except citizenship.

Airman Dizon enlisted in November, but he said his ultimate goal is to gain his citizenship and become an Air Force officer.

"He's definitely committed to the Air Force," said Lt. Col. Thomas Grimm, 381st TRS course director. "We encourage him to pursue his dream to become an officer. He's one of our top performers."

Airman Dizon said his plan is to finish out this term of enlistment and gain his citizenship in the meantime.

"Hopefully I'll get my citizenship in less than a year," he said.

He said he will also work on polishing his education to meet U.S. standards. To do that, he will have to go through two more years of clinicals and take the dental board exam here, he said.