Free Republic

FORT BRAGG, N.C., June 3, 2009 – Irony, our English teachers told us, often is confused with odd coincidence. Just ask Army Pfc. Wenderson Jangada of the 82nd Airborne Division, who will tell you it is ironic that the benefits of enlisting in the U.S. Army can be more significant to immigrants than to citizens. Army Pfc. Wenderson Jangada raises his right hand to become a U.S. citizen May 22, 2009, in Raleigh, N.C. Jangada, who speaks six languages, is from Brazil. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Jangada, who became a U.S. citizen in Raleigh,...

I’m very proud to announce that today I have become a citizen of the United States! About 16 years ago my parents left or sold everything they owned and came to America with the intention of giving my sisters and I a better life...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 21, 2005) -- Some people are destined to serve, even if it is in the new country they have adopted. In 1995, as a young teenager growing up in Haiti, Cpl. Berony Nelson remembers seeing U.S. Marines conducting security operations and humanitarian missions there. “I remember seeing Marines trying to help out,” said the 24-year-old Marine currently serving in Iraq. “I wanted to join them and be like one of them. I always wanted to be in the military.” Today, the Haitian immigrant-turned U.S. Marine and American citizen has spent more time serving in the military...