Winnie Adipo grew up in Nairobi with dreams of joining the Kenya Defence Forces.
Adipo’s childhood fascination with the military began in Nairobi, where she would often watch drills and parades. Her dream was clear: to wear the uniform of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
But her attempts to join faced repeated rejection. She applied four times without success and recalls being asked for a bribe of KSh200,000 — a demand her humble family could not meet. With her father a teacher and her mother a nurse, the dream seemed lost.
In 2015, her fortunes changed when she won the US Diversity Visa, commonly known as the green card lottery. Moving to Tacoma, Washington, she began adjusting to a new life.
A chance conversation while applying for a social security number connected her to a US military recruiter, reviving her dream in a different land.
Before joining, Adipo worked hard to secure US citizenship. She enlisted in the Air Force, scoring highly in aptitude tests that allowed her to specialise in health services management.
Her discipline and performance stood out during both technical school and basic training. In 2018, she received an early promotion through the prestigious “below-the-zone” program.
In just three years, Adipo became a staff sergeant and now leads as the noncommissioned officer in charge of personnel administration at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
Her journey reflects resilience, showing that even when corruption closed doors at home, new opportunities abroad helped her achieve her lifelong dream of military servic
