Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports after nearly 50 years in the U.S. toggle caption Sae Joon Park.
For 55-year-old U.S. Army veteran Sae Joon Park, this was the hardest moment of his life.
It was leaving the U.S., a country he called home for nearly five decades.
I can't believe that this is happening in America," Park told NPR in an interview prior to his departure.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A year later, the pair moved to Los Angeles, where Park would spend the rest of his childhood.
Park was flown back to the U.S., honorably discharged, and awarded a Purple Heart. »