Tuesday, September 21, 2010.
His name was Reyes, well-liked, a great soldier, and "squared the fuck away," as we'd often say in the Army. Our S.A.W. gunner, he would return enemy fire beautifully — and not much is beautiful about the Iraq war. We trusted him with our lives. And you know what changed when we discovered that he was a citizen of Peru instead of the United States? Absolutely nothing.
My infantry platoon had guys from all over the country — we looked like a recruitment ad that screamed diversity — so I had no idea that foreign citizens fought alongside us. Nor did I know that such a thing was possible. But it didn't bother me, and I actually thought it was incredible that Reyes would risk life and limb for a country that wasn't officially his. No, what bothered me was that serving with our flag on his shoulder didn't guarantee Reyes citizenship upon honorable discharge; it merely helped his chances. He had committed to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," but the United States would not commit to him. You'd think that joining the military would essentially flick the naturalization switch from "safe" to "semi," meaning that he'd be good to go, but sadly that's not the case... yet. Last week Harry Reid announced that he will insert the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act into a defense authorization bill, granting permanent residency to young undocumented immigrants who honorably serve in the armed forces for two years. This infuriated Republicans, including John McCain, who called it "onerous" and "a pure political act" despite co-sponsoring the same bill in 2005, 2006, and 2007. (Colin Powell, still technically a Republican, approves of the proposal.) McCain has obvious political considerations — he's up for reelection in a state hostile to immigration — but this flip-flop seems especially cynical. It blows my mind that he would threaten to block this reform. Foreign citizens have always participated in our nation's defense, sometimes when Americans were scared to send their own children. And who in the hell would want to join the military now? No one knows if Afghanistan is winnable, and we're going to be stuck in Iraq for years despite the official end of combat operations. (Why hasn't my victory parade invitation arrived in the mail?) And besides, you can make at least triple the money as a civilian contractor. What's the fucking point? Still, we desperately need more troops, and there's nothing more patriotic than willingness to fight and die in the hope of becoming a citizen. Immigrants are willing to work all the shitty, low-paying, demeaning jobs that most lazy Americans feel is beneath them. But military service isn't janitorial work — it's not beneath anyone — and if our lazy citizens aren't willing to serve their own country, then the honor should go to people who actually deserve to wear the uniform. Reyes eventually became a U.S. citizen, but would've faced a legal nightmare if his application had been denied. And there's no good reason that a soldier like him should have to go through hell again. Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran and Esquire contributing editor Colby Buzzell is the author of award-winning memoir My War: Killing Time in Iraq. |
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They are the tools that make American crimes against humanity so very common. The are the weapons of a craven psychopathic elite.
Fuck them all.