Airman from Nepal makes the most of opportunities

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Starting out as an orphan in a very poor country like Nepal isn't the typical first step toward a successful career in the United States Air Force. But the life story and career aspirations of Senior Airman Gopal Pudasaini, an aerospace medical technician with
Kirtland's 377th Medical Group, aren't typical.

As a young boy, Pudasaini knew he wanted to become a doctor, but being born into a lower-class family in Nepal, it would be a long shot. The odds became even longer when he lost his parents.

His mother died when he was 9 and his father died when he was 14, which made getting even a basic education a challenge.

"It was strange growing up. I was pretty much on my own," he said.

He worked as a child laborer, acting as a servant in the home of a wealthy family. In exchange, the family employing him paid for him to attend school.

"I was a typical servant," Pudasaini said. "I was working for them and they sent me to school until I graduated high school."

After high school, Pudasaini left Nepal's capital, Katmandu, and moved to a rural area to work as an English teacher.

"Children there were lacking a good education and their parents wanted them to learn English so they could get jobs in the Middle East," he said. "I was good at English and there was a demand for English teachers."

Pudasaini, still in pursuit of his dream of becoming a doctor, tried joining the Nepalese army. He chose not to join, however, when he was asked for a 100,000-rupee bribe just to apply.

He sold some of his family land in Nepal to raise the money to move to the United States to continue his education. After living a short time in Alabama, he moved to Texas to attend Kilgore College. When the cost of college became more than he could keep up with, he began looking for an alternative way to get his education.

He also got married around that time to an American, Peggy, the daughter of a retired Air Force master sergeant.

Pudasaini made another Air Force connection at his job at a perfume and jewelry shop at a shopping mall in Longview, Texas. Among his customers were military recruiters who had storefronts at the mall.

"I'd sell them perfume or jewelry for their wives. They were looking for military prospects around the mall," Pudasaini said. "And my wife told me the Air Force is the only place you can go. You're not going to be a sailor or a soldier.'"

Pudasaini said he was finally convinced to enlist in the Air Force because of the educational opportunities it would provide.

"I was going to be making less money than I was making at the mall," he said, "but the opportunity to get money to go to school was very appealing."

He went to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for basic military training.

Pudasaini said his Nepalese upbringing and manners at first caused him some problems. "I got in trouble for smiling when they talked to me," he said. "In Nepal, you're taught to smile when you talk to people. That's my culture."

But once he learned to keep a straight face, the rest of the training went well, he said.

Pudasaini has been with the 377th Medical Group at Kirtland since 2014.

Lt. Col. Courtney Finkbeiner, chief nurse for the medical group, said he is a top-notch Airman and an inspiration to his co-workers.

"Overcoming the struggles he encountered to make it to where he is today is motivating," she said. "This young man can become anything he wants to be, and he chose America and our Air Force to help make his dreams happen."

Pudasaini is proceeding with his education and continuing to work towards his goal of becoming a doctor. He is on course to receive an associate's degree from the Community College of the Air Force in October in health sciences and is pursuing a bachelor's degree via online courses at Lewis University.

After that, Pudasaini is looking at two-year pre-med programs followed by medical school. After he becomes a doctor, the Air Force requires that he commit to serve as a medical officer for 10 years. Pudasaini said that commitment should not be an issue.

"I want to go as high as I can and be in the Air Force as long as I can," Pudasaini said. "I am part of the best Air Force in the world, so I want to be worthy of belonging and continue to strive for the best."