CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Born in a city of 10 million people, Lin Lin could have followed the crowd and put his dreams on the back burner.

“I was born in Qingdao, China, and I came to the states in 2002,” said Washington Army National Guard officer candidate Lin Lin. “After coming to the United States, I became interested in becoming a police officer. I looked into the requirements and found out I have to be 21 years old and a U.S. citizen. I then started to look for the fastest way to become a U.S. citizen.”

One day, two Army National Guard recruiters came to Lin’s high school to discuss opportunities and how they could help him meet citizenship requirements. Lin knew the Guard could help him achieve his dreams, so he enlisted after graduating.

“I went to basic training and advanced individual training, and soon after I graduated from AIT, I deployed to Iraq with the 81st Brigade as a heavy armed vehicle gunner for a convoy security team,” said Lin. “While in pre-deploy training, I was sworn in and became a U.S. citizen.”

Lin’s first step to achieving his dream was complete. However, life got in the way of achieving his goal of becoming a police officer.

“I ended up transitioning from the 81st Brigade to the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, where I re-classed as a cryptologic analyst and Chinese Mandarin linguist,” said Lin.

In 2016, Lin would deploy again, with Delta Company, 341st MIB, to Afghanistan to support the joint special operation command. After returning home, Lin started school at the University of Arizona, working toward his bachelor’s degree.

“I successfully balanced between full-time student, full-time work, and family,” said Lin. “I graduated with my Bachelor of Applied Science in Intelligence and Information Operation this past summer.”

While going to school, Lin worked as a corrections deputy in the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department but still wanted to be a police officer helping citizens. He applied to the Bellevue police department and was accepted in November.

In Washington, police candidates must complete the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA), which takes about four and a half months. Graduates then return to their respective departments to continue building skills, knowledge and experience as officers. In April, Lin completed training at the police academy.

“Even though I have successfully graduated from the Corrections Officer Academy, BLEA was not easy,” said Lin. “It was 720 hours of combined academic and defense training. I would study late most days to have a better understanding of case laws and criminal procedures.”

Lin wanted to prepare mentally and physically to be a police officer. He woke up at 4 a.m. every school day to be at the academy early to work out for at least an hour before class. It all paid off when he walked across the stage to become an officer.

“I was so happy to see how proud my family and friends were at my graduation. It’s a huge achievement for me, as the first generation of immigrants. I came to the United States with little English. It took me a long time to reach my lifetime goal of being a police officer. I joined the Washington National Guard, which prepared me to achieve my dream, and now I graduated from the BLEA and became a police officer,” said Lin. “It was a challenging and meaningful journey. Every step was worth fighting for.”