In April 1971, an 18-year-old boy
born in Enyiogugu, Mbaise, Imo
State, landed at the John F. Kennedy
International Airport, New York,
United States of America with just
$10 in his pocket and a gargantuan
determination to succeed in life. It
was an ambition that pumped in his
heart, propelled by the love of his
parents and 13 siblings.
Working full time night jobs,
including washing dishes in
restaurants on some days, he
endured deprivations, scrimped and
saved to pay his way through
college, after being adequately
prepared by the sound moral
training he received from reverend
fathers that taught him at Holy
Ghost College, Owerri, a Catholic
academy that once produced morally
upright, well-educated adolescents
who moved on life to become
professionals and public servants
desperately needed by post-Second
World War Nigeria, at a time the
country was burning with the quest
for independence from Britain.
“In a way, I have been on my own
since I was about 13 years old. You
could say that I learned to solve my
problems, focus on my objectives,
and strive to be the best that I can
be,” Colonel Edwin Njoku recalled in
an interview with this reporter in
2003, soon after he became the
first African in the United States
army to rise to the rank of a colonel.
In the intervening years, he held
various positions of increasing
responsibility, several of which
were very strategic to the national
security of the United States, and
put in a total of 28 meritorious
years before retiring in 2013.
You can then begin to understand
how Njoku felt when he was
nominated by US top military brass
for the Legion of Merit (LOM), a
military award of the United States
Armed Forces that is given for
exceptionally meritorious conduct in
the performance of outstanding
services and achievements.
Njoku, a specialist in nuclear science
and radiological physics, enlisted in
the United States Army in 1985 on
direct commission as 1st Lieutenant
and was promoted to a Captain a
month later. As at 2003, he was one
of the only two black people
certified by the American Board of
Health Physics. And has since been a
diplomat of the American Academy
of Health Physics.
Born to the late Chief Oliver Njoku
(Ochiriozua 1 of Enyiogugu) and the
late Mrs Monica Onukogu Njoku, he
was the first of 14 children of his
parents.
So when he stood on the dais at the
White House for the formal
decoration, the event marked
another milestone for Nigeria, the
land of his birth and a salute to the
indomitable spirit of the people
despite the deficiencies of the
country’s political leadership.
“Looking back at my childhood era, I
can safely describe it as filled with
adventures. I was into everything,
from active sports to hunting and
trapping, fishing, farming, or just
hanging out. I even ran restaurant
for a while,” says Njoku who began
his formal education at St Paul’s
Primary School, Enyiogugu, Mbaise
before going to Holy Ghost College,
a school he describes in this
fashion, “My beloved HOGOSCO, I
will always cherish the education and
experience that I got from that
school.” It is an emotional connection
he shares with His Grace, Dr.
Anthony J.V. Obinna, Archibishop of
the Catholic Diocese of Owerri, who
is an illustrious ambassador of the
college that sits directly opposite
the cathedral, which itself is a
postcard landmark of Owerri.
Njoku’s natural quest for higher
education in America took him
through Worcester Junior College,
Worcester, Massachusetts,
University of Lowell, Lowell,
Massachusetts, University of
Massachusetts, New York Institute
of Technology, Old Westbury, New
York and Hunter College, New York,
New York, the various institutions
where he obtained the following
degrees – AS, BS, MS and MSc. His
postgraduate studies focused on
Nuclear Science/Radiological
Physics, Industrial Hygiene and
Environmental Engineering
Technology.
Upon enlisting in the US Army at
graduate level, he attended the
officer advanced professional
training at the US Command and
General Staff College as well as the
US Army Chemical School and the
Air War College.
His experience in nuclear science
would ultimately play a significant
role in the Middle East and Korea,
two troubled regions where he
served when former US President
George W. Bush, Jnr. sought to
resolve the global challenge posed
by Iraq’s dreaded possession of
nuclear materials and other chemical
weapons of mass destruction.
Understandably, and for obvious
reasons too, Njoku bluntly refuses
to talk about his work in this regard,
but happily explains why he
branched into nuclear science: “I
chose the nuclear field because it
appeared fascinating and I liked the
challenge. It has turned out to be a
distinctive choice. It prepared me to
work in nuclear power plants, nuclear
medicine and radiation oncology,
military applications effects, and
plain scientific research. The
industrial hygiene and environmental
engineering programs were pursued
for the sake of gaining an overview
of what my employees were doing. I
hated to be ignorant of the work I
was tasking people to do.”
Funny enough, Njoku’s ride through
the US military establishment began
on a tennis court, he says with a
smile, recalling how it happened: “I
joined the US Army in 1985 after
several months of prodding by a Lt.
Colonel Ezell Ware (now a Major
General) who used to play tennis
with me. He admired my academic
qualifications and was bent on selling
the advantages of joining the
military. He kept pushing on what
the military could do for me,
including showing me the world. I
finally gave in and accepted a direct
commission. I went in as a 1st
Lieutenant and was promoted to a
Captain a month later.
“Considering the way everything has
turned out, he was right. The US
Army delivers on its promises. The
US military, despite its
shortcomings, represents the most
ideal organization ever created by
mankind. It provides an environment
where people can rise according to
their abilities, irrespective of race
or national origin. Enlisted soldiers
do not have to be citizens to join
the army but they may not be placed
in sensitive positions. They,
however, have to be permanent
residents. As at 2003, we did not
have many African-born officers in
the military. Among us, I happen to
be the first to attain the rank of
Colonel. But I have worked hard to
see an increase in that number,
particularly among people with
medical backgrounds. Today there
are several Nigerians in the US
military. In fact, there are three
other enlisted Njoku (s) in the
army.”
His promotion in 2003 brought with
it more responsibilities. He served
as the Deputy Chief of Professional
Services. And was the command’s
Preventive Medical Science Officer
while handling collateral duties as
the Nuclear Science Officer, and
the Chemical/NBC Officer. He was
also the deputy director of the 2nd
Med/63rd RSC Emergency Medical
Response to Weapons of Mass
Destruction training program and
Adjunct Instructor with the US
Defense Readiness Training
Institute.
Altogether, by serving in these
various capacities, one of Njoku’s
major contributions was in the area
of emergency medical response to
weapons of mass destruction. Under
his leadership, more than 1000
physicians, nurses, and other
emergency response personnel were
trained between 2000 and 2003 as
Al Qaeda fears rose across the US.
The trainees went back to their
communities and units, equipped and
ready to respond to emergencies. “I
am particularly proud of this
effort,” Njoku says with great
elation.
Of his role models, he names Major
General Ezell Ware and former
United States Secretary of State,
General Colin Powell, who had
previously been the National
Security Adviser to former
President George Bush, Jnr, after
serving as Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs under former President
George Bush, Snr. He says of role
models: “Both are dynamic
individuals who reached the pinnacle
of their profession through hard
work and perseverance. They are
worthy of emulation. Colin Powell and
I are products of the same system
and to some degree, share some
commonalities. He grew up in the
Bronx, in a not-so-well to do family,
and became the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell held
several high visibility positions and
performed well in each of them.
While I did not hold any such
positions, I have enjoyed what I
have done in the course of serving
in the United States Army. It has
been a great honour to serve.”
Now that he has retired, Njoku
would spend more time attending to
his pet love: “I relax by attending to
my garden. Since childhood, I have
always enjoyed going into the garden
and picking fresh tomatoes and bell
peppers. I supply my neighbors with
the excess vegetable produce during
the growing season. Sometimes I
relax with a good book, particularly
historical biographies and military
history. Once in a while, I re-read
one of Chinua Achebe’s novels for
Ibo proverbs.”
Yet there is great pain in Njoku’s
heart: “The level of poverty in the
village distresses me. Several years
ago, I tried to alleviate the situation
by providing seed money to several
women to start small-scale
businesses. Some succeeded but
many were hampered by the
worsening economic conditions. I
have continued to extend a helping
hand where a slight chance of
success exists. I am not financially
well off by any stretch of
imagination but I am like my father.
We have the philosophy that a house
built on quick sand will eventually
collapse; one can’t be happy in his
“castle” if he is surrounded by
abject poverty. I have committed a
substantial amount of resources
towards the building of the local
church and rectory. I have also
renovated St Paul’s Primary School
building after I got fed up with the
deplorable conditions in the school.
I was informed (and witnessed it)
that the school children normally
abandoned their desks to avoid
getting soaked when it rained. This
situation could not continue unabated
and something had to be done. I
could not imagine myself attending
classes in such deplorable
conditions. In another little way, I
have been paying income tax to the
Nigerian government for quite some
time. My hope is that this would help
the government extend needed
services to the people. Despite all, I
don’t particularly think that I have
made any substantial impact. More
needs to be done; jobs need to be
created for the youths and I wish I
had the magic wand to make it
happen.
My vision for my birthplace is that
we need to work harder to improve
the economic situation, working with
government to create more jobs for
the youths and improve education
and infrastructure. With his
retirement, Njoku has ample time to
devote to this vision.


Culled from: sunnewsonline.com

Congrats man u are an inspiration

Congrats... This is a FP material, better than "tontoh's news"