US Air Force Pilot Jaydevsinh Zala on Serving a Nation While Staying True to Your Faith

Your own dad came to America as an immigrant, and he always had this dream of being in the Air Force.

But from my understanding, he, uh, unfortunately couldn't speak English, so wasn't able to follow that dream.

And so I am curious about how his story actually helped shape your desire to want to serve in the Air Force.

Yeah, thanks for asking that question.

Uh, like so many of our parents, uh, they came from India.

They didn't really have much, and they came to America for a better living, and this country fortunately gave them that.

Uh, in my dad's case, when he was younger in India, he wanted to be a pilot in the Indian Air Force.

Uh, at the time, the entrance or selection exam required you to have a certain level of English proficiency in reading and writing and speaking.

He wasn't able to meet that, so unfortunately didn't pass, and then that dream moved on.

Yeah.

He came to America, uh, started a family, and then, uh, when I was born, uh, my dad, when I was two years old, gave me a toy plane.

Hmm.

Uh, that toy plane we still have to this day.

It's a small little Thunderbird fighter jet, uh, one of the ones that you roll back, and then it goes forward.

Uh, just a little toy.

Uh, it meant nothing to me at the time, but that toy is kinda what shaped my future.

Uh, my dad kinda knew that, like, I wanted to be a pilot, or I, as in he wanted to be a pilot.

Uh, he saw a cool little toy that worked out, and then, uh, he gave that to me.

And so from that age on, from two onwards, I had that toy with me everywhere I went.

Hmm.

And then as I got older, I used to tell people, "I wanna be a pilot.

I wanna fly this toy." And so, uh, that's how my dad's dream carried out.

Uh, fortunately, today I'm a, uh, officer in the United States Air Force, also a pilot.

Wow.

I remember all those toys, though, the ones you used to wind up, and then they would just take off.