Tuesday, March 13, 2007 9:41 AM「お前らアメリカの市民権が欲しいか？それならまずイラクへ行け」。２００
２年から大統領命令で米軍に務めれば、移民でも市民権が得られるようになった。
市民権はいわば桃太郎のきび団子だ。
この記事の４人は、全員移民で全員がイラクで負傷して市民権をもらった。文
字通り命と交換の市民権。しかしイラクに派遣されて、市民権をもらうどころか
命を奪われた人も多い。
兵隊不足のアメリカ軍はとうとう日本人にも手を伸ばし始めた。それが「米軍
再編」の本質だ。
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Four immigrant servicemembers become U.S. citizens
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, March 14, 2007
WASHINGTON ? Marine Lance Cpl. Carlos Lopes waved a mini-American flag
in his right hand and his citizenship paperwork in his left, happily
showing off both to everyone who approached.
“I know it’s just a piece of paper, but words can’t explain how good
this feels,” the 25-year-old Portugal native said. “I joined the
Marine Corps because I love this country. I’m proud to serve, and now
I’m proud to be a citizen.”
Lopes and three immigrant soldiers, all of whom were injured while
serving in Iraq, became U.S. citizens on Monday, taking their final
oath before a crowd of family and military officials at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center.
The four were the latest group of foreign-born servicemembers to be
naturalized under a 2002 executive order which allows expedited
citizenship for immigrants willing to serve in the Armed Forces.
Under current law, foreign citizens who become permanent U.S. residents
and sign up for active duty need only one year of service to qualify
for citizenship. Without serving, foreign residents must wait five
years.
But Lopes and the three soldiers said they all signed up for a combat
tour overseas not because it would speed up their paperwork, but
because they wanted to serve their adopted country.
“What I think is most beautiful about America is that I always felt
like I belonged,” said Pvt. 1st Class Dwishnicka Randolph, a 26-year-
old Haitian immigrant.
“(Citizenship) wasn’t the reason, but God bless me, I got it, too.
And I’m just thrilled to have my husband and my military family here
to share it with me.”
Randolph spent a year in Iraq before being evacuated to Walter Reed in
March 2006 after being diagnosed with a facial bone tumor. Lopes served
for four months in 2005 before suffering back and head injuries when a
fellow Marine fell onto him from two stories above.
Spc. Angel Regalado-Contreras, a 26-year-old Mexican immigrant,
suffered severe leg injuries in a roadside bomb attack in July 2006
after eight months in country with the 6th Infantry, 1st Armored
Division. Spc. Eduardo Garcia-Gonzalez, a 21-year-old from Mexico,
suffered kidney failure while deployed with the 502nd Infantry, 101st
Airborne Division.
Walter Reed officials and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael
Chertoff, on hand to administer the oath of citizenship, praised the
courage and sacrifice of all four immigrants.
“Even before you took your oath today, you were fulfilling that
promise every day on the battlefield in Iraq,” Chertoff said.
Since July 2002, more than 26,000 troops have become U.S. citizens that
way, and immigration services officials estimate more than 40,000
others are eligible to apply.
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