CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - As U.S. service members rolled into Iraq in March 2003, a young girl looked on, watching with excitement from the streets of Baghdad as the world around her changed.
“My dream came true. As the Iraqi Freedom operations started in March of that year, it ended the regime of Saddam Hussein,” said Spc. Rusha Adams, an information technology specialist with 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment.
That everlasting memory, seeing how the U.S. military came to help those in need, drove Adams’ desire to serve in the military. The path was not always clear, though.
Adams was born in England in 1983. When her father completed his master’s and PhD degrees, the family had to return to Iraq in the summer of 1989.
“I was 6, it was such a culture shock moving to Iraq,” Adams said. “One year later, Saddam decided to invade Kuwait, which led to the collapse of the Iraqi economy.”
Due to his education and experience, Adams’ father was forbidden to leave the country. Adams was forced to stay for all her schooling — until that day when U.S. service members arrived.
“It was really amazing watching them come in. Iraqi families were so grateful,” Adams said.
Free to leave the country, the family packed up and moved to Yemen, where Adams’ father found work as a professor in the College of Engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science. In 2014, due to the civil war in Yemen, the family moved to Turkey, where Adams’ destiny was about to change.
“Where we lived in Turkey, we were right next to my husband’s family,” said Adams.
She met her husband, Spc. Tony Adams, in 2017, while he was visiting his family. Before joining the military, Tony provided interpreter support to U.S. troops in Iraq. Feeling a sense of duty, he joined the military.
“Our families knew each other, and we got along very quickly, and after a short time dating, we got engaged,” Adams said. “In 2018, we got married while he was stationed in Korea and then moved to the states following a move to Louisiana.”
Still grateful for what those U.S. troops did for her as a young woman, she felt a strong duty to serve.
“I became really proud being an Army spouse, and it became a dream to bear arms to defend the country I chose to be a citizen in,” Adams said.
They moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in 2023, and that is when she took steps toward fulfilling her dreams of service.
“We moved here, and I earned my U.S. citizenship,” Adams said. “The first thing I wanted to do after getting my citizenship was to join the military, and we loved Washington so much I said I would like to join the National Guard.”
While she wasn’t sure if she could meet the physical demands at age 40, with the help of her husband and recruiter, Adams overcame all the challenges and became an IT specialist in the Washington Army National Guard.
“Because of my background with computer science, IT just seemed like the best fit for me,” Adams said.
For her next adventure, Adams will deploy to Africa this year with the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment.
“I am really excited because I believe that we can make a difference wherever we go,” Adams said. “Because the way I became free, maybe I can help someone become free one day, and for that I am really so excited.”