New Delhi: Until Thursday, few had heard of Niki Lego. But after she posted her picture wearing the US Army uniform earlier this week, this young girl from Arunachal Pradesh has become the toast of social media.
Niki Lego had joined the force in June 2019, after she passed the recruitment interview, but with her picture in the uniform doing the rounds only now, many assumed she has just entered the US Army.
“I had changed my profile picture there days ago and somebody must have got hold of it. Hence, the buzz,” Lego told ThePrint over the phone.
“I just completed my training on 5 March. It started in September last year in South Carolina and in November, I was moved to train in Georgia. After training, I have got stationed in Georgia itself and work for the system management and engineering team,” Lego said.
The young US Army officer, however, did not specify her age when asked.
The social media buzz
The achievement of this young girl is now being widely talked about on social media platforms like Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook.
Ninong Ering, Congress leader and former Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh shared Niki Lego’s story, calling her an ‘inspiration’ for the youth of the state.
Another Twitter user called Sergeant Bikash also congratulated Lego for her journey from the Northeast to the US Army.
Congrates Ms Nikki Lego(Right) from East Siang , Arunachal Pradesh. A journey from remote mountain to Google HO and now with US Army. Girl power. Cheers. @MontyPanging @PemaKhanduBJP pic.twitter.com/ictCX1bTMg
— Sergeant Bikash (@bikash63) March 15, 2020
While one Facebook user with the name Tarh Domte hailed Lego’s achievement as ‘naari sakti’ (woman empowerment), another user called her the ‘pride of Northeast India and an inspiration for young girls’.
From the Northeast to the US
Lego did her her schooling in Siang Model School Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, and then completed her graduation in political science from Lady Keane College, Shillong.
She later went on to do her post-graduation in mass communication from the University of Delhi.
Putting her mass communication degree to use, Lego worked in the hospitality sector as a relationship manager in various hotels like ITC Sheraton, New Delhi, and Google’s public relations office. Later, she moved to the US to work as a public relations officer in several Indian-origin companies, before finally getting a call to join the US Army last year.
While her father Anong Lego is director of agriculture in the Arunachal Pradesh government, her mother Yayir Riba Lego is the vice president of BJP’s state Mahila Morcha.
The coronavirus outbreak, meanwhile, seems to have impacted Lego’s plans to meet her family.
“Niki has been in the United States for 3 years now and she stayed in New York until last year when she joined the US Army. She was supposed to come home this month, she told us she has a 15-day break but couldn’t fly down due to the coronavirus outbreak,” her father told ThePrint.
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So this might be ridiculous to make a celebrity out of lies but her tribe have never seen one of them making out there and joining an army.us army has made its own impression in movies and news and a girl from remote india joining them make sense for being hailed.
Why is print deleting comments which are exposinv its blatant mis reporting
Deleting comments wont make your blatant mis reporting go away. She is not an US army officer, but in lower clerical rungs. She never went to US for work, but on a fiancee visa being funded by her american boyfriend! She has never worked with google. She doesnt even have a post graduate degree. So much to create a fake social media star
She is not an officer she is a E-3 Junior Enlisted Soldier. Please correct this article.
Also isnt it very logical that how is she working in system management and engineering team when she has no degree or credibility in these areas?
Please verify your story and do not believe in hearsay. We expect better stories from a national newspaper like you. First thing, she never did any masscommunication course from delhi university. It was a diploma course from bharti vidya bhawan, delhi. Secondly, she hasnt served in any 7 star hotel or either worked as a PR for google. she was working in Radisson blu at a lower rung position. Nor has she done any Hotel management course as being perpetuated.She doesnt have those qualifications. 3rdly she went to US on a Fiancee ViSa as her then boyfriend invited her.. she has got her US citizenship through this. She is no US army officer, she is only in the clerical work . This is not a achievement as a result of her her degrees or work. There are many many accomplished indians working in good companies. Do not belittle their achievements . You should have verified all these information before publishing. We expect responsible reporting. Do not create a social media star based on lies. She has been holding back a lot of information from her family as well.
It’s her choice and decision and we should respect it. Neither any reason to celebrate nor condemn her action. US citizenship comes with premium and she has paid the price.
Is it just me or has someone else too found this Indian citizen’s move to join the US Army embarrassing and unfortunate? The world’s largest imperial military force is forever seeking cheap and expendable young recruits. To that end it lures citizens of other countries by offering an accelerated path to US Citizenship if they join Uncle Sam’s killing machine. Even more distasteful than her decision to join the US Army is to see it being celebrated as some achievement. Pathetic!