PAKTIYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Sarah Ziaja just wants to be an astronaut.

Working as the lead engineer for Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktiya, Ziaja is still far from her lifelong dream.

“It would still be cool if I could become one though,” she said.

Ziaja, originally from Rescue, Calif., is a civil engineer with the 344th Civil Engineering Squadron out of Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. She served there for two years before deploying to Afghanistan in late 2011.

As the lead engineer for PRT Paktiya, Ziaja is the project manager for a number of road reconstruction projects, a hospital and a number of irrigation projects. She also fills in as the PRT’s public affairs officer and is the contractor liaison for the engineering section.

Besides wanting to eventually launch herself into space, Ziaja credits her sister, Lt. Becky Ziaja, a tactics and warfare instructor for the Navy, with initially peaking Ziaja’s interest in serving her country.

“If it wasn’t for her [Becky] and her active pursuit of a military career and all the opportunities it offers, I wouldn’t have looked into the military,” she said.

Ziaja looked into the reserve officer training program for both the Air Force and the Navy, but decided the Air Force had more options. She graduated in 2009, from the University of Portland, Ore., with a major in civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental science. She also managed to pick up minors in theology and environmental science.

She has really appreciated her military experience so far because it has given her the opportunity to apply what she learned in school and military training.

“I really like the military and what it has to offer in terms of seeing the rest of world and personal development,” she said. “I’ve actually traveled outside the U.S. more before I joined, but I’ve seen more of the states after I got commissioned.”

On a grander scale, she says the military has changed her views on life in general.

“Being able to serve your country gives you a better perspective on what’s out there, something a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to experience,” said Ziaja. “It also makes you a more well-rounded person.”

Ziaja’s career has had its ups and downs. Her first couple months in Afghanistan were hard for her physically and mentally, but once she got her battle rhythm, she stood out as an outstanding officer.

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Joseph Ciaramitaro, the liaison officer for PRT Paktiya, described Ziaja as “dedicated.” She is filling a captain’s slot right now and doing really well, he added.

“She tries really hard and is enthusiastic about her projects,” Ciaramitaro said. “She prides herself in working hard and has a lot of energy and focus.”

This is evident in why Ziaja serves. She sees the military as an avenue for her to reach out to others.

“We are defined by the events we experience,” she said. “I see these events as a chance to help others. This is what it comes down to, helping people. If this job allows me to help someone through a rough patch, it makes all the trials and tribulations worth it.”

Even though her current duty station prevents her from reaching her lifelong goal of traveling to the moon, Ziaja would not hesitate to take the oath to serve her country again.

“The military is not an easy path and even though it may not be for everyone, it’s definitely worth a shot,” she said. “I have no regrets. If I could do it over again, I would still join. It made me the person I am today, for better or worse.”

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