Immigrant patriots fighting for US

Houston Chronicle:

In the war in Iraq, thousands of American soldiers have fought and died for their country.

And alongside these men and women are U.S. soldiers from other countries, volunteering to serve their adopted country.

Immigrants have been on the U.S. military's front lines since the nation was founded. And today, the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq serves as a reminder of the 20,000 noncitizens serving on active duty in the U.S. military. Many of these immigrants are stationed in Iraq. From 2001 through Dec. 8, the Pentagon has recorded 142 noncitizen fatalities in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While the service of soldiers, U.S.-born and noncitizen alike, are remembered today in Iraq, experts predict the military ranks will grow with even more immigrants.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, more than 36,920 members of the U.S. armed forces have been naturalized, and another 109 were granted citizenship after they were killed on duty, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

...

Immigrants are also signing up because of old-fashioned patriotism, a desire to repay their adopted country and the quick road to citizenship offered by military service.

''It comes down to the same thing that draws others to the military — job opportunity, the military pay, a career, and educational opportunities with money for school," said Beth Asch, senior economist at the Rand Corp., a specialist in defense manpower issues. ''But it's also the opportunity to serve the country and be part of something larger than one's self — to give back."

In May 2006, the U.S. military included 68,711 foreign-born men and women, according to a report Baralova published in January. Those numbers include immigrants who became U.S. citizens. On a regional level, 40 percent of the foreign-born military members were from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 40 percent hailed from Asia.

...

The Asian number is astounding consider they make up such a small percentage of the US population. The Latin American number is about what I expected or maybe even a little less. James Pinkerton, who wrote the article, gives some examples of Houston area men who have earned citizenship through the military. It is one of the better five year anniversary stories.