St. Louis-- Thursday morning it was a sea of green at St. Louis Lambert International Airport as more than 4,000 troops from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri flew home for the holidays.
In the crowd, Oluwasegen Ibitokun, 31, who joined the Army last spring. Ibitokun, who calls New Jersey home, was born and raised in Nigeria. He came to America when he was 19 on an educational scholarship. He said he became a United States citizen three years ago.
"When I completed my studies, I thought to myself, 'How can I thank the country?' So I decided to go for the Army. This is the greatest country ever. I want to be part of greatness and that's why I'm serving," Ibitokun said.
Ibitokun grew up in a military household. He said his father is a retired Nigerian Air Force pilot.
"He's very proud that I'm doing this for the US Army. For the United States in general. He's always had that military background and raised us with the military mentality. There's nothing better than being an American and nothing better than serving the greatest country on earth."
Ibitokun and the other troops will be on holiday leave for nearly two weeks before returning to Fort Leonard Wood.
