ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England -- “Nelson Mandela said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,’ I like this quote for Black History month because education is our future,” said Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Baah, 100th Force Squadron Support, superintendent.
“I am from Ghana - Ghana is in West Africa – and in Ghana if you don’t go to school, you don’t have any future. When I saw this quote from Nelson Mandela it resonated with me, because if it wasn’t for education, I wouldn’t have made it this far. To be a part of the world’s greatest Air Force.
When I was young, I didn’t take school seriously the way I was supposed to. Fortunately, I was able to come to the United States through a program in Ghana (my brother joined me in the U.S. a year after I arrived), to live with my aunt in New York and through that I got my GED (General Education Development).
I didn’t take high school seriously enough to get a diploma, I studied for two months to get a GED. I then started school in Brooklyn and attended Columbus State University for a year before I transferred to Ohio State university. At this time a company that my brother and I worked for laid us off.
So, my brother decided to join the Army. He was sent to Germany and eventually I went to visit him. When I was there, I told him I’ve always loved being in uniform. He told me if I was considering joining a branch, I should join the Air Force. When I came back to the states, I went straight to a recruiter and joined. Open general was available for me and from that I got services, which is what I do now.
I did well there, but I didn’t stop with my education. I was able to get my Community College of the Air Force Degree, my bachelor's in Healthcare Management, and my master's in Business Administration. Education never stopped and I’m still educating myself.”