U.S. Veteran and Purple Heart recipient forced to self-deport after being in the country legally for more than 50 years
Sae Joon Park, a 55-year-old U.S. Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, has just self-deported to South Korea, after living in the United States on a green card since he was just 7-years-old.
" I can't believe that this is happening in America," Park said to NPR in an interview. "That blows me away, like a country that I fought for."
Park enlisted in the military after high school. "I wanted direction and [to] better myself and maybe help serve the country," he told NPR.
At 20-years-old, Park was deployed to Panama where he was shot in the back twice. Afterward, he was honorably discharged and awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery.
But Park’s bravery had dire consequences. " I was suffering from PTSD severely," he said. "From sleeping nightmares to like, having just fearful thoughts all the time. Couldn't watch horror movies, couldn't hear loud noises."
To cope and self-medicate, the Veteran turned to drugs. Park was eventually charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping, which prevented him from obtaining citizenship, according to NPR.
Because of these previous charges, Park was notified by ICE officials that he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily.
In an interview with Hawaii News Now, Park shared, “People were saying ‘You took two bullets for this country. Like you’re more American than most of the Americans living in America.’”
Now Park is forced to uproot his life to a country he hasn’t visited in 30 years. “I get it. I broke the law and everything, but I think this is a little severe what they’re doing to me after I paid my dues after I did my time for the offense that I did,” Park told Hawaii News Now. “I thought I was doing my part to do whatever I have to do to be a good citizen and do everything right to stay in this country.”
On Monday, Park said goodbye to his elderly parents, his son, his daughter, and his community in Hawaii, not knowing if he’ll ever see them again.
