Enlisted graduate of foreign medical school commissioned, picked for residency training

Published May 7, 2009
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, BILOXI, MISS. -- For newly-promoted Capt. (Dr.) Mauricio De Castro, April 24 was the culmination of a long-sought goal. He became an Air Force officer and, perhaps more significant, he will soon begin the internal medicine residency program at Keesler Medical Center.

Col. Stephanie McCann, 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron commander, officiated at the ceremony during which Captain De Castro shed his senior airman stripes and pinned on captain bars.

He was proud to have his brothers "do the honors" by pinning his new rank on his uniform. Army 1st Lt. Carlos De Castro, 27, came from Ft. Bragg, N.C., to mark the occasion with Airman 1st Class Miguel De Castro, 23, who traveled to Keesler from the Pentagon.

Until his promotion, then-Senior Airman De Castro served as a medical laboratory journeyman at the medical center.

He was born in Barran-quilla, Columbia. He earned his doctor of medicine degree from the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla in 2004. Then 23 years old, he and his family sought political asylum in the U.S. shortly after graduation.

"Due to the situation in Colombia at the time, we feared political persecution because my family was involved with the government," he explained.

His parents subsequently returned as the nation became more stable. Unfortunately, his medical degree wasn't transferable.

Captain De Castro enlisted in the Air Force in 2006 and in December 2008, after years of sacrifice and hard work, was selected for commissioning in the Air Force. This alone was a major achievement, but even more remarkably, he was selected by the Joint Service Graduate Medical Education Board to complete a residency in internal medicine.

According to Capt. Robert Curtis, chief of 81st MDTS transfusion services, "This is the first time in Air Force history that an enlisted member who graduated from a foreign medical school has been selected for residency training."

Captain De Castro thanked everyone responsible for allowing him to achieve his dream following "a long journey of eight years."

"This was a tremendous group effort, from leadership to the people I worked with in the lab. This proves that if you have a dream, you should never give up. Be sure to surround yourself with good people."

He had special words of thanks for his brothers, noting, "Without them, this would never have been possible."

The new captain will attend the month-long Commissioned Officer Training at Maxwell AFB, Ala., and begin his residency at Keesler July 1.