[DoctorMichael]

................15,000 immigrants serving active duty in the U.S. military: immediate eligibility for citizenship.............

Why am I suddenly remembering THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE by Gibbon?

[warchild9]

The Romans recruited barbarians for a lot of reasons, most of them involving the fact that there were few "real" Romans left, as that nation ceased to exist after the Augustine reforms (which granted wide citizenship rights in an effort to pick up new taxes). Also, certain German tribes were eager to get at their German neighbors, the pay was pretty good, it was a chance to get away from the family and see the world: all the usual reasons young men join the military.