Memorial Day Tribute to Immigrants in the U.S. Military

From the Wall Street Journal:

On Memorial Day, we honor not only those who have fought and died for America, but the ideals they believed in and stood to protect. Some of those we'll pause to remember on Monday fought for a land of freedom they still only hoped to call home.

More than 40,000 members of the U.S. military are not yet U.S. citizens. Mexicans, Canadians, Filipinos and immigrants from countries on every continent now wear the uniform of their adopted homeland. New arrivals make up more than 5% of all U.S. enlisted personnel. And immigrant soldiers are an American tradition, fighting in nearly every major conflict of the past century. Half a million soldiers of Mexican descent alone have served in the U.S. armed forces. More than 20% of the recipients of the Medal of Honor have been immigrants.

In 2002, President Bush signed an executive order allowing legal permanent residents who served in the military to apply for citizenship immediately. Under the immigration bill now before Congress, military service could be opened up more broadly as a fast-track to citizenship. Critics have groused that letting immigrants fight our wars is unseemly, creating a "green card army." Others claim such recruitment represents a form of coercion. Don't tell that to the soldiers. Many risk their lives out of gratitude. One soldier who served in Iraq explained: "I wanted to help this country that had given me and my family opportunity."

Every man and woman who serves in uniform today is of course a volunteer. They serve their country and along the way advance their own quest for meaningful and productive lives. Not a few who've enlisted did so after making their own difficult journeys to reach America -- and have a keen appreciation of the value of freedom. Since the Iraq war began, some 26,000 men and women who are serving our country have become U.S. citizens. What can we say but welcome, and thank you.