Press Room

Must Read News

Foreign-Born Soldiers, Sailors Willing to Die for America

By Bronwyn Lance Chester
The Virginian-Pilot
Posted on Wednesday September 25, 2002

Samuel Johnson quipped that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. I’m not so sure.

Last fall, many Americans submitted to a heartfelt re-evaluation of why they love their country. Then there were others whose idea of sacrifice was ruining their car’s paint job with a plastered-on American flag.

Still, it’s difficult to truly grasp all the advantages that America offers, simply because those of us born here have nothing to which we can compare it.

Some of the most patriotic folks you will ever run across in this country are immigrants. Born in nations from Albania to Zimbabwe, they have one thing in common: They appreciate America for the freedom and opportunity it provides. This thankfulness becomes the wellspring for their devotion. Unlike many of those born here, they want to be here. And they want to give back.

Here in the South, with our preponderance of military bases and comparatively scant numbers of immigrants, that fellow you see with a short haircut and funny accent may not be a terrorist. Instead, he is probably a U.S. Marine. Or Army soldier. Or Navy sailor.

Despite the post-9/11 rants of xenophobic pundits, many U.S. military grunts fighting the war on terrorism are not yet American citizens.

According to the Pentagon, more than 30,000 foreign-born individuals—both naturalized and noncitizens—currently serve their adopted country. In 1999, half of all new recruits at the Army station in Flushing, N.Y., were born in such far-flung countries as India, Korea and Guyana. And immigrants make up 20 percent of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

A Navy recruiter in Norfolk estimates that nearly 10 percent of his new sailors are immigrants, mostly from Guyana. Almost 6 percent of the Navy’s recruits since 1995 have been noncitizens.

Some 8,545 foreign-born Marines serve on active duty. Jamal Baadani is one of them. Stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Baadani is currently at sea on the USS Portland. The soft-spoken gunnery sergeant was born in Egypt to Yemeni parents and immigrated to Michigan at age 10.

Baadani saw combat during his 1984 deployment to Beirut, where he ``lived Arab terrorism’’ in the aftermath of the Marine barracks bombing, and then again in the Persian Gulf.

“I joined the military because I wanted to thank America for giving my family a home. I wanted to go out of my way to let my country know how I felt. And I joined the Marines because of their elite spit-and-polish image.”

Baadani said his family has experienced discrimination since 9/11, despite his service to his adopted country. “My uncle has worked for a major auto manufacturer in Michigan for 30 years. On 9/11, guys at work turned their backs on him.

“He was distraught, and he asked me to send him a picture of me in my dress-blue uniform. He put it up in his office, trying to prove his patriotism through me. After they saw his nephew was a Marine, they started to talk to him again. The uniform became a vehicle to bridge that gap in understanding.”

Capt. Dai Tran, a Marine from Vietnam, echoed Baadani’s thoughts on joining up. “This was my way of establishing a real connection with America. My father, who was a South Vietnamese naval officer, recently told me he could go back to Vietnam and say, `See? My family really is part of America. My son is willing to die for his country.’ ”

Similarly, Master Gunnery Sgt. Sergio Rodriguez, who came to America from Guatemala when he was 17, signed up to pay his country back for the good things he had received. ``It seems many Americans don’t see the opportunities their country gives them,’’ he said. ``I’m happy to know that I’m serving one of the greatest countries in the world.’’

Immigrants in the military can apply for U.S. citizenship after three years of service. But this past July 4, President Bush offered a priceless gift to the current crop of 15,000 foreigners in the military: immediate eligibility for citizenship.

The predictable immigrant bashers—most of whom have nonexistent military records—decried Bush’s move as a way for terrorists to become a well-trained Fifth Column. But it’s insulting to believe that foreign-born soldiers are wannabe terrorists. In fact, the only ex-U.S. military terrorist I can think of is Timothy McVeigh.

Nuts don’t have to join the military to form terrorist cells. Anyone expecting to learn how to make sarin nerve gas in Navy basic training is severely misguided indeed.

There is no better way to demonstrate devotion to a new country than the willingness to make sacrifices for it. Enduring grueling weeks of basic training and years of active duty—or the chance of coming home in a body bag—is more of a sacrifice than many native-born Americans are willing to make.

Gunnery Sgt. Baadani put it best: “I think we immigrants step forward because we know what it’s like not to have the freedom we have been fortunate to receive by coming to America. We know how lucky we are to be here.”

Bronwyn Lance Chester is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot. Reach her at 446-2307 or e-mail Bchester@pilotonline.com.