From Deseret News archives:
Sidelines aren't the place for 'lost boy'
U.S. soldier, WSU grad will speak to veterans in D.C.
Soft-spoken and humble, the Weber State University graduate said in a recent phone interview that his first thought when he was invited to speak at the prestigious Memorial Day observance was, "Are you sure?"
But his trajectory from a boy essentially orphaned by war to a man who has done two tours of duty in Iraq attracted the attention of Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Scruggs first heard about Moses when the soldier was training Iraqi Army and National Police units.
Moses' first war took place when he was a child in southern Sudan: a civil war between the Muslim north and Christian south that dragged on for two decades. Although many of his young friends joined the Sudan People's Liberation Army, becoming child soldiers, Moses headed to northern Sudan at age 13 to work for the International Red Cross.
"If you see people being arrested falsely, being intimidated, you can't just stay on the sideline and watch," he told the Deseret News in 2004 about that time in his life.
He finally arrived, coatless, in the U.S. at 17, on a freezing winter day in Sioux Falls, S.D. His first job was in a chilly meat-packing plant, hoisting dead pigs. Eventually he ended up at the Job Corps in Utah, got his high school equivalency degree, went to Weber State University, joined the ROTC and was named a commencement speaker. In 2002 he took two oaths: as an American citizen and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.
He has not seen his parents since he traveled to northern Sudan at age 13. Occasionally he is able to talk to them by phone, but even now, he says, he's worried that any other contact might jeopardize his family. In America, his surrogate parents have been Howard and Wanda Berkes of Salt Lake City. Howard Berkes, a correspondent for National Public Radio, will introduce Moses at Monday's ceremonies.
"I like being a soldier," Moses says. "I like the teamwork, the camaraderie with fellow soldiers, and the job itself."
At the heart of his service, he says, is "gratitude for all the opportunities and freedom America has given me."
E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com
Recent comments
I've know David Moses since 1998 in Ogden. Words can't express how...
Antoccia | May 26, 2008 at 8:20 a.m.
What strikes me as most relevant about this story is that it reflects...
Eric | May 26, 2008 at 7:17 a.m.
What a blessing it is for us to have such a wonderful new citizen as...
Laurie | May 25, 2008 at 9:21 p.m.
- Hatch empathizes with Muslims 2:42 p.m.
- Two arrested in $3 robbery 2:41 p.m.
- Dow hits highest level in a year 2:33 p.m.
- 2 more in GOP may challenge Bennett 2:31 p.m.
- Life sentences for juveniles examined 2:20 p.m.
- Matheson may face Dem challenger 2:11 p.m.
- Columbia prof to speak at U. 2:07 p.m.
- Mitchell wants testimony excluded 1:36 p.m.
- Cleveland case expands overseas 1:27 p.m.
- Banks eye tight credit card terms 1:25 p.m.
- TCU showdown has big implications
- Seniors helped BYU regroup
- Hope for single moms
- Lambert surprisingly tops news
- Bystanders framed for child porn
- Korver and Miles to be evaluated
- TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
- Utah Jazz Extra: Whose hot/not
- Newhouse Hotel, an explosive end
- TCU moves into 4th place in BCS
- Gay advocates trek to LDS office
246 - House passes health care bill
212 - Lobo suspended
176 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
153 - TCU showdown has big implications
145 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
130 - Thousands protest health bill
107 - Provo company innovating engines
106 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
103 - RSL rallies to advance
103
Why do so many people live so close to refineries in Utah and elsewhere?
NASA's Stardust probe continues to bring new knowledge about the nature...
Davis has no offense? I guess having one of the best, if not the best RB in...
As The A-TEAM would of put it, "I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER." The...
Dick, how is your golf game you haven't mentioned it in ages.
'Too expensive!' Thinking man, healthcare as it is now is too expensive....
I'm so sick of Mitchell's attorneys exploiting the legal system to keep...
Gee, what a shock, something to help the poor trodden down single mothers. I...
It's football, and each team has their chances. i think both will play well....
Alta wasnt even a playoff team without Kealia Ohai!
Leave. Duh. No WMD's. No Osama Bin Laden. No reason to be there. Our...
I enjoyed seeing the old uniforms. Bring them back! Great day for Tampa Bay!


