20-Year-Old Filipina Joins Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
The 20-year-old Filipina Staff Sgt. Joana Chris Arpon has joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to fight for the country who saved his grandma.
Arpon has a deep appreciation for the foreign people who rescued and helped her relatives after a catastrophic event that struck the Philippines. The act of kindness of the Israel army gives her the zealousness and inspiration to join the team.
Staff Sgt. Arpon is a pure Filipino who flew to Israel to seek job opportunities until she decided to voluntarily join Israel Defense Forces (IDF). She joined IDF because Israeli army team has rescued her grandmother during the devastation of typhoon Haiyan last 2013.
On Tuesday (May 02, 2017), the female Filipino soldier is one of the 121 soldiers awarded for exemplary service during Israel’s 69th Independence Day Celebration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin have given the reward to Arpon.
The young Pinay soldier was born in Israel, according to the report of Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). The news agency also said that Arpon always felt like part of the Jewish State despite being a pure Filipino.
“She always felt like part of the Jewish state. While many Filipinos live clustered in Israel’s big cities, her mother raised her and her older brother in the small town of Mishmar Hashiva, in central Israel. At their high school in nearby Rishon Lezion, they were the only Filipino students,” reported by JTA quoted by Kickerdaily.
Arpon’s mother has immigrated to Israel in 1988 as she works as a nanny just to raise her children since she was left by her husband. The majority of the Filipino residing in Israel were female caregivers.
Joana was happy to be a part of the Search and Rescue Unit of Israeli Army, even though she is a non-citizen army and she was glad to serve the country who helped her relatives.
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