By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Those born in the United States inherit the “American Dream.”
Most who make America their home moving from another country learn quickly the national ethos of the U.S. involves blood, sweat and tears.
The American Dream is a set of ideals about democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity, and equality Patricia Bahadosingh has learned all about moving to Florida at the age of 15. Her service in the military has provided Bahadosingh with her set of values and given her a life she dreamed about growing up in Jamaica.
“Going to the Army was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. “I was 18 and confused. I didn’t even know what I was going to do in college. All I know is that it was the next step up. I didn’t have a direction.”
Brought to Orlando by her father Patrick Robinson around 1992, Bahadosingh attended Evans High School. Armed with a heavy Jamaican accent and a background of poverty, the skinny girl started to get noticed through Drama.
After winning the Best Actress for the state, Bahadosingh doubted being a thespian would provide her with a living and enough money to send back home to family in Jamaica.
“I went into the military right at graduation time,” she recalled. “I hadn’t had a college say yay or nay. I was disappointed. I was down. I didn’t know what my future would look like with a college offer.
“I went to the recruiter office and I actually wanted to go to the Air Force,” Bahadosingh continued. “I went to the Air Force office and he actually wouldn’t even look at me. He said, ‘Your GPA a 4.0?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Bye.’ I started saying no and he wouldn’t even look at me. I bounced and you know the Army’s office, the arms are always open.”
The year of 1994 was Bahadosingh’s biggest step toward obtaining the American Dream by graduating in May.
“ Making the adjustment coming from Jamaica was hard during my first year of high school,” Bahadosingh noted. “My accent was very thick. Kids laughed and the teachers couldn’t understand what I was saying. You could see the dazed looks on their faces. The only thing that saved me was I had very good grades. I ended up being in advanced classes.”
She felt like an alien those early days in high school. That feeling returned in September 1994 attending her first boot camp. Facing a ton of unknowns at Fort Jackson, Bahadosingh relied on her humble upbringing to adjust.
“I wasn’t scared,” she said, “I guess growing up in Jamaica there was so much adversity that you grew up fast. You’re used to changes and uncertainties. You’re used to not knowing what tomorrow is going to be like. I knew it was something I had to do. I didn’t have a choice. So let’s do it.”
The teenager embraced her new surroundings in South Carolina.
“We got there and the very first week was beautiful,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘This is the military? I can do this.’ We had classes during the day and we got out at 4:30 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful place. ‘Oh, good choice.’
“Then a week later,” Bahadosingh continued. “We picked up our things and moved to the best. Literally put us on a truck and drove us to the base. We were the first integrated unit with males and females.
Bahadosingh was among about 50 women at boot camp. The intensity picked up once the new recruits got off those trucks.
“I was looking for a way to run away,” Bahadosingh acknowledged. “I was standing at attention but looking past their shoulders. I was looking to see if there was a way I could run away.”
Running away quickly became an afterthought once Bahadosingh remembered her mission.
“ Life in Jamaica was hard,” she said. “I was the oldest of my siblings of 5. I looked at being in the United States as an opportunity for me to help them back home. There was nothing that the military could throw at me, although I was afraid that would stop me from taking care of them back home.
“That’s what gave me the strength to say, ‘OK, this is what I have to do,” she added. “My ultimate goal is this and there is nothing more important.’”
While the country of Jamaica is a colorful tropical paradise for vacationers, Bahadosingh said the reality of her homeland is black and white.
“We don’t have racism in Jamaica,” she said. “We have classism. There are poor and rich. There is no in between, no middle class. That’s just how it has been. I was in the Belcour section. I went to bed hungry several nights. It’s humbling.
“It gives you discipline and keeps your feet on the ground,” she continued. “It’s like your feet have been encapsulated in concrete. It really keeps you grounded. It gives you humility. As hard as it was growing up like that, I am appreciative. You learn to appreciate things in life other people never fathom appreciating.”
After boot camp, it was on to Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Bahadosingh’s academic success paved her way to joining the medical side of the Army. She served in the Four Combat Medic and was attached to infantry units.
She drove a baby tank 113 full of medical supplies and trained with the soldiers. Bahadosingh served eight years in the military and traveled to places like Germany and Bosnia.
“It was hard enough being a female in the military,” she acknowledged. “It presented a challenge of sexism. We were embedded with infantry. We would be 10 to 15 females with 80 to 90 guys. You had the challenge of male and female nature.
“Two, it would come down to, ‘Are you good enough to have our backs?” she added. “Can you keep up with us? Can you pull your weight?’ That was a challenge to prove I could pull my weight. I was good enough to be there and at the same time earn my respect without losing myself.”
Bahadosingh left the Army with the rank of E5 Promotable.
“Professional respect, I’ve always put my profession above anything else,” she noted. “I kept it professional.
“It was a hard challenge getting the cooperation of my soldiers under me,” Bahadosingh explained. “Basic training, they’re yelling at me. I was like, ‘I ain’t going to take too much of this yelling.’ I needed to find out how to be the yeller.”
From day one to being the one in charge, once again being a leader of her siblings prepared her.
“My skin was already tough,” she said. “It was like bring it on. My upbringing prepared me mentally to be strong. Once you have a focus, one thing about the military I really appreciate, it will strip you down. And it shows you who you are.
“It exposes your strengths and your weaknesses,” Bahadosingh added. “One thing I learned about myself through the military, I am a really focused person. Once my mind is set, be focused and this is why I am doing this, there is nothing that can deter me from my end game. My goal was to take care of my family.”
Now Bahadosingh is a registered nurse at the Baptist East Memphis and Veterans Affairs hospitals in Memphis. Her time as a combat medic is serving her well today.
“It’s given me so much more than I thought,” she said. “Just the prestige and honor of being in the military, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m really proud of that decision. I love the military for what it is.
“Of course it has its bad press and news,” Bahadosingh continued. “But I love it for what it is. It has made me and shaped me to the woman I am today. A more disciplined person, a more focused person, a more driven person, more ambitious.”
The American Dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that “all men are created equal.” Bahadosingh has learned equality is not given but earned.
“People should give the military a chance,” she concluded. “Give the soldiers a chance. and be a little bit more compassionate because of the sacrifices we make, you’ll never see it. You just see a small amount of the things we go through and things we do for this country. It hurts us to not be appreciated. Just give a soldier a break.”
