Flight from danger
Senior Airman Deng Deng escaped war-torn Sudan and joined the United States Air Force. He now supports his family still living in Sudan
Deng Deng didn’t have a childhood. No toys, no play, no rest; his was a childhood of flight and survival. Born and raised in a refugee camp in Sudan, Deng’s family was displaced from their home during the Second Sudanese War and constantly on the move.
Deng recalled a near constant state of violence as armed soldiers led the thousands of men, women and children from location to location in the hopes of staying off the enemy’s radar.
“If we stayed in one place too long aircraft would spot us and drop bombs,” he said in a recent interview.
For a man whose childhood was surrounded by violence and as a witness to horrific sights, Deng is still a driven, patriotic man who still searches for place of peace for his family. Currently serving in the United States Air Force and recently granted U.S. citizenship, Deng supports his family still living in southern Sudan. Deng feels a burden to return to Sudan and lead his family to peace and safety, to be a big brother to his family. After more than 23 years, Deng is still searching for that Eden.
