Azle man to attend SOTU address as First Lady's guest

AZLE — Oscar Vazquez has already lived the "American Dream," the way he tells it.

"I didn't come here for free health care, or food stamps," he said. "My parents brought me here so I could work, and go for that dream."

On Tuesday night, the Army veteran and Mexican immigrant will be one of the guests invited to watch President Barack Obama's final State of the Union Address in the First Lady's Box. 

"It's an amazing honor," the 29-year-old said.

Vazquez's personal journey is one the White House no doubt thinks will resonate with the country.

Born in Mexico, his parents moved their family to Phoenix when Oscar was 12.

But like many other kids at his high school, Vazquez was undocumented.

The story of his high school robotics team beating out a team from MIT in an underwater robotics competition led to a book and Hollywood film 'Spare Parts.'

But it also brought attention to his legal status.

"Basically, I was over 18 and stayed, and had to go back to Mexico," he said.

His wife, Karla, remained stateside while her husband worked diligently to reenter the country legally.

"Those feelings of what is going to happen next ... was the scariest part," she said.

When Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, brought his case to the senate floor in 2011, Oscar eventually gained legal status and returned. 

He soon enlisted in the United State Army and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

"That was just always important for me to do," he said. "I definitely appreciate everything I have a lot more since I came back from deployment."

Vazquez said he hopes his attendance at the State of the Union helps shed a positive light on immigrants, and perhaps leads to further immigration reform.

"It's frustrating to see all the talent and opportunity that is being wasted," he said. 

Oscar is now a business analyst at Burlington Northern Santa Fe in Fort Worth. He and Karla have two young children.