New citizen proud to serve U.S.

LEHI — Bill Kadarusman can describe himself many different ways.

He's Chinese-Indonesian. He's Christian. He was once a political refugee. He's a college graduate. He's a practicing attorney. He's a husband and father of two.

And on Tuesday, he'll be an active soldier on his way to Iraq.

Kadarusman, along with about 450 other men and women from the 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, will be deployed Tuesday for a yearlong mission in Iraq.

"In a way, I'm excited about doing something new," Kadarusman said. "At the same time I feel nervous. It's a long separation. (But) overall, I feel very honored to get citizenship and get to serve the country."

Like all soldiers, Kadarusman will leave behind family and friends. But his story stands out because at one point not too long ago, Kadarusman wasn't even a U.S. citizen.

Born in Indonesia, Kadarusman grew up as an ostracized Chinese-Indonesian-Christian in predominantly Muslim Jakarta. His parents had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1974.

In 1991 he came to the United States on a student visa and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

He decided to return to Jakarta in 1998, so he shipped his things overseas and bought a one-way ticket. But he never got to go, as riots broke out weeks later, preventing any travel in or out of the country. Kadarusman, who had quit his job, lost his work visa and was stuck in the States.

"I had a dilemma," he said. "I can't go back, I can't stay."

Kadarusman traded in his ticket for a one-way flight to California where he applied for another work visa. A friend then suggested he apply for political asylum, which he did in October 1998.

Each Friday for months, he'd return to the immigration office to ask about results. By March he had lost hope and still hadn't been able to work legally.

"I don't have any money, I shipped out all my stuff, so I have nothing, really," he said.

With $20 in his bank account, Kadarusman began working in construction for cash. He said he still remembers that day in May when he got a certified letter announcing his asylum status had been granted.

"The difference between not having legal status and having legal status is like night and day," Kadarusman said.

Within a week he had a job at a bank and began saving money for law school.

He graduated from BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School in 2004. He had a degree, a wife and a year-old girl — but still no meaningful legal-related job.