“Hold The Door Open For Others”: A Conversation On Immigration, Identity, And Success In The Army

This interview was a project for a Cadet English class, and was developed and recorded by Cadet Matthew Adoghe. He interviewed LTC Brigid Osei-Bobie about her immigration from Ghana in 1983, her decision to join the Army as a lawyer, and her American identity. This is a free-flowing discussion with both Cadet Adoghe, an immigrant from Lagos, Nigeria, and LTC Osei-Bobie sharing elements of their immigration stories. Brigid Osei-Bobie grew up in a wealthy family in Accra, Ghana, where her father was a civil servant. The second of five children, she attended Christ the King school as a young girl. The family came to America following a coup in Ghana; her father was already in Syracuse, New York, where he was at the university on a fellowship. His goal was to receive an education in the United States and then return home, but civil unrest in Ghana disrupted his plan. Arriving in upstate New York, Brigid discovered a vibrant international community among the grad student families at the university. As an immigrant family, they faced new challenges, and Brigid’s mom worked two jobs while her dad completed grad school and worked odd jobs. While they were becoming “Americanized,” they also worked to retain their Ghanian culture, eating traditional foods and speaking Twi at home. After high school, she attended Syracuse University for both her undergrad and law school, and she was working as a lawyer in New York City when a friend convinced her to talk to an Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) recruiter. She decided to join the Army because she realized “I was looking for meaning, and I found it in the JAG Corps.” Since joining the Army and serving worldwide, she has found that Army culture has melded with her Ghanian traditions to form her own unique American identity. She is thankful for the opportunities she has had here, and advises others to seize the opportunities this country offers.