JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Born in Kwang-Ju, South Korea, Staff Sgt. Eric Oh moved to the U.S. with his family at 14 and began attending high school in Franklin, Tennessee.
“It was difficult at first because of the language barrier and cultural differences,” he said, “but I was fortunate enough to make great friends in school.”
His friends helped him acclimate to his new environment and learn English. After graduating high school, he went to college to fulfill his dream of joining the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and earning an Air Force commission. When his dream was denied because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen, he decided to enlist solely to gain citizenship. His plans changed once he joined, and his fellow Airmen inspired him to stay.
“The men and women of the Air Force taught me what it means to be an Airman and what it means to serve,” he said.
Today, Eric is a contract specialist for the 766th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He administers five service contracts valued at $14.5 million for Pacific Air Forces and provides business advice and acquisition support for Indo-Pacific Command customers including seven wings and 32 geographically separated units
“I take great pride in wearing the uniform,” he said.
During a recent temporary duty assignment to Australia, Eric provided contract support for a joint exercise. As the first onsite Air Force contracting officer to support the exercise, he procured supplies, commodities and services.
“It was great to provide on-site support to our warfighters and get out from behind the desk,” he said. “It was very gratifying and a learning experience working with our host-nation partners. The lessons learned from this unique opportunity will be forever invaluable to me.”