(Tribune News Service) — From child refugee to Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, from a young Afghani exposed to conflict and instability in his homeland to an American service member who helped those who fled it, Ehsan Jamshidi has had a myriad of experiences in his 30 years.

The Stafford County, Va., man recently was recognized for his accomplishments. While in service, he enrolled in the University of Maryland Global Campus, where he maintained a 4.0 grade point average while serving around the world.

UMGC recently presented him the Gen. John W. Vessey Jr. Student Veteran of the Year Award. It’s named for a UMGC alum who advanced from the enlisted ranks to become the 10th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Jamshidi spoke at the Veterans Day ceremony, encouraging fellow veterans to stay the course as they balance education with other life responsibilities.

“Push through the late nights, the doubts and the countless responsibilities,” he said. “I can tell you from experience, it is worth it. Your hard work today paves the way for future opportunities and achievements.”

Jamshidi was profiled in a story on the UMGC website. It chronicled his family’s journey from Herat, Afghanistan, where he was born, to the culture shock experienced when he came to California with his mother, two brothers and sister. He was 4 at the time.

The family members had won the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, which enabled them to move to the United States, but his father and two other brothers were not allowed to leave Afghanistan.

His mother became an American citizen eight years later and brought his father to the country. Meanwhile, Jamshidi went to college with the goal of majoring in criminal justice.

A classmate, a 20-year Army veteran, told him he could enlist as a military police officer — and have his education paid for — and Jamshidi jumped at the chance.

“When I joined the Marine Corps, I did so to serve a country that had given me so much,” Jamshidi said.

He spent nine years in the Marine Corps, rising to the rank of gunnery sergeant, until an injury during martial arts training forced his medical retirement. He said his military career demanded physical strength and endurance as well as critical thinking, strategic planning and understanding complex environments.

“Education has been key in helping me meet those demands,” he told the UMGC audience.

Jamshidi enrolled in 2019, got credit for past college coursework and finished his associate and bachelor’s degree in 2023. He’s currently working on a master’s degree in criminal justice management.

During his time in the military, he worked on his education, often under adverse conditions. He served with the Marine Forces Special Operations Command where he supported critical operations, developed psychological operations products and advised leadership on the operational environment.

Jamshidi was later accepted into the Marine Security Augmentation Unit, which protects U.S. embassies in high-security countries. He was assigned to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Jordan, and spent two years as a detachment commander in Liberia.

After another two years of training, Jamshidi moved into a psychological operations program. But when thousands of Afghans tried to flee their homeland when the U.S-backed government collapsed in 2021, the Corps needed Marines who could speak Farsi, Dari or Pashtu to help with the evacuation.

Jamshidi answered the call and was assigned to Quantico to help process more than 5,000 refugees. In the midst of the duties, he learned his mother had visited her sons in Afghanistan, unaware of the potential collapse of the government, and was stuck there.

Like thousands of others, she and her son and grandson made it to Kabul International Airport and spent days outside, inching their way closer. They finally were able to be evacuated, and his mother got home to California.

His brother and nephew joined the other 5,000 refugees Jamshidi was trying to help process. Because they had applied for special immigrant visas for Afghan refugees who had assisted the U.S. government, they ultimately were released after processing at Quantico and joined Jamshidi’s mother.

Jamshidi currently works for the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency, providing security clearances for people who do business with the Department of Defense. He’s also completing a project management professional certification program and hopes that it, and his master’s degree, will qualify him for a position within the DoD.

“Our military service has strengthened us to face any challenge,” he said, “and our education empowers us to use that strength to build a better world.”

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