As a child, Kavon Hakimzadeh fled the Islamic Revolution in Iran with his family and found refuge in small-town Mississippi. Now, 40 years later, he is back in the Persian Gulf region, this time as the commander of the United States aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, which with tensions rising over the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani could play a role in any confrontation with his former homeland.

For many Iranian-Americans like Captain Hakimzadeh who serve in the United States armed forces, the oppression and turmoil of the Iranian Revolution cultivated an appreciation for the liberty that the United States military vows to uphold and defend, and inspired many to enlist.

“I think it is probably a lot to do with why I decided I wanted to serve and wanted to be in this line of work,” Captain Hakimzadeh told The Virginian-Pilot in an interview when he took command in August.

Captain Hakimzadeh, who could not be reached for comment this week, was born in Texas to an Iranian father and American mother and soon moved to Iran, where he lived until he was 11 and the 1979 revolution forced his family to flee.