When Mizpah Valmoria enlisted in the Navy the day before her 18th birthday, in a way it was the start of her life in the US.
Mizpah was born in Indiana while her parents, who are from the Philippines, were serving as missionaries. Mizpah and her family moved back to the Philippines after two years in the States. She grew up outside Manila, in a tight-knit family of her parents and older sister, as well as extended family.
In 2008, Mizpah had to return to the US to prove her citizenship. She came to San Diego through connections to her church.