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Alix Idrache

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Alix Idrache
Candid photo of a young black man; he is wearing camouflage fatigues, looking down and to the camera's left, and smiling.
1LT Idrache in 2019
Born
Haiti
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUS Military Academy (2016)
Military career
Branch
Years2010–present
RankCaptain
Unit228th Aviation Regiment

Alix Schoelcher Idrache is a Haiti-born helicopter pilot in the United States Army.

Personal life

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Idrache's father Dieujuste dropped out of school at 14 years old to find work in Port-au-Prince.[1] Alix Schoelcher Idrache was born in Haiti,[2] devoted himself to schoolwork at his father's encouragement, and also saw the United States Armed Forces engaging in humanitarian missions there.[1]

After Dieujuste emigrated to the United States, he was able to bring his son in 2009,[1] who later became a naturalized citizen. In May 2016, the US Army listed New Carrollton, Maryland as Idrache's hometown.[3]

US Military

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Bust photo of a young black man; he is wearing an old-fashioned military uniform, looking to the camera's left, and crying.
Idrache at his 2016 graduation

Idrache joined the Maryland Army National Guard in 2010[3]—later joking that they convinced him "because of a free t-shirt!" After completing Basic and Advanced Individual Training, Idrache successfully applied to the USMA with the assistance of his platoon leader and "the unit's full-time office administrator". Arriving in 2012, on 21 May 2016[1] he graduated from the West Point, New York school (the Maryland Guard's first, at the top his class in physics); a photo of a tearful Idrache went viral.[2]

Captain Idrache posing with Haitian locals (25 August 2021)

By June 2019, Idrache's uniform bore the insignia of a first lieutenant and the Army's 1st Infantry Division. That month he was stationed in Carentan and liaising with French media on the occasion of the Normandy landings' 75th anniversary.[4] A captain assigned to the 228th Aviation Regiment by September 2021, Idrache joined Joint Task Force Haiti's response to the 2021 Haiti earthquake; the UH-60 Black Hawk pilot supported evacuation efforts as well as translating both French and Haitian Creole.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Noyes, Ryan (21 May 2016). "From Port-au-Prince to West Point: Maryland Guard's First Graduate". Baltimore: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b Yam, Kimberly (26 May 2016). "Viral Photo Shows Haiti-Born West Point Cadet Overwhelmed By How Far He's Come". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020. Men and women who have preserved the very essence of the human condition stood in that position and took the same oath.
  3. ^ a b Lamothe, Dan (26 May 2016). "West Point graduation: The full story behind the viral 'American dream' photo". The Independent. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020. 'A moment that I will never forget'
  4. ^ Villarama, Henry (1 June 2019). "Lieutenant interviewed by French media [Image 21 of 21]". Normandy: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  5. ^ Monroe, Annabel (17 September 2021). "Haitian-born Black Hawk pilot supports JTF-Haiti earthquake relief efforts". Port-au-Prince: United States Southern Command. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
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