Posted on 05/15/2006 5:27:28 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Amalia Avila never supported the war. But after her first son, Victor Gonzalez, told her he wanted to join the Marines, she felt a mixture of fear, concern and, finally, pride.
"This war makes no sense to me," Avila said last week in her Watsonville home. "I'd ask him why he wanted to go, and he'd just say his brothers needed his help. ... But when Victor did get into the Marines, when that day came, I was so proud of him."
Avila paused to allow her tears. "It was a beautiful day."
It was also one of the last days Avila saw her son. Gonzalez, 19, who was born in Salinas shortly after Avila immigrated from Mexico, served a little more than a month in Anbar province before he was killed by a roadside mortar explosion in October 2003.
The discord between Avila's unsettled feelings toward the war and her son's sacrifice reflects a growing paradox within the Latino community. A majority of Latinos believe the troops should come home as soon as possible, according to Pew Hispanic Center surveys, yet enlistment of Latinos has steadily risen in the past decade.
According to the Department of Defense, in 2004, the most recent year of confirmed data, Latinos made up 13 percent of new recruits. This is an all-time high, nearly twice the percentage of 10 years earlier. Latinos' presence in the military still does not match their 17 percent share of the overall population ages 18 to 24. And African Americans continue to be overrepresented in the military, making up about 18 percent of active duty personnel but only 13 percent of the U.S. population. Nonetheless, the absolute number of Latinos entering the armed forces continues to grow.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
This shows that Hispanics are contributing to our country and doing their share of fighting on war of terror.
An honorable path to citizenship?
Yes, according to President Bush's speech.
Someone willing to lay down his life for this country, is someone I want to be a citizen of this country.
I can imagine no more honorable way to gain citizenship.
The so-called discord in this article is probably evidence that the hispanic community is shifting away from being a reliable "Democratic" voting bloc.
The fact that a majority of Hispanics think that the troops should come home as soon as possible is no different than what most Americans think. We all think the troops shouldn't stay a day later than they're needed there, which is to say we all think that they should come home as soon as possible.
That does not mean we want them to come home with the mission unfinished, and let the jihadists have the run of things over there. Nobody is actually pro-war, but those who are portrayed as pro-war are in fact pro-victory, because the alternative to going to war with the enemy is to be defeated by them. So anybody who is against justified war are in fact pro-defeatists, or pro-enemy.
...one good reason that others in my State should not have been staging anti-illegal-immigration rallies fronted as rallies to support our troops. Many foreign nationals and soldier sons of immigrants in the USA perceive such rallies as anti-immigration rallies.
Does one simply "join the Marines"?
Sounds like Americans to me.
One solution to the illegal immigration crisis is to have illegals join the U.S. Military.
Yeah, That just worked soooo well when the Romans did that with the Goths
Goths were never considered Roman citizens, more like external hired mercenaries.
Unless some of the article didn't appear on my screen, there is no mention of citizenship, and to presume all Latinos are not citizens is false.
There have been non-citizens enlisting in our military, and I have absolutely no qualms with them being granted a fast track to citizenship. If they are willing to give their lives in defense of our nation, they are my kind of people, and they are truly doing a job most of our citizens will not do.
Remember the slogans of the sixties that brought about the vote for 18 year olds; If they are old enough to die for our country, they are old enough to vote. In this instance, if they are committed to defending our nation with their lives by serving in the military, they should have the opportunity to be one of us in citizenship.
" Yeah, That just worked soooo well when the Romans did that with the Goths."
It worked great with the Gauls, Spaniards, and Syrians.
The best known Roman of all time was said to be Spanish.
Many Gauls were said to be more Roman than the Romans.
A legal resident has to have a valid "green card" before they are allowed to enlist. After enlisting the "legal residents" are put on a "fast track" to citizenship.
Know this from the days of the military recruiting my adopted daughter. They would not talk to her until they saw the "green card" and could verify that it was valid.
Gee sounds like a drug dealer, which I'm sure this little prick holds in higher regard than a soldier willing to lay down his life for his freedom.
Still waiting for that article that tells that white guys make up the bulk of the front line troops and take most of the casualties.
The Roman state lasted, in one form or another, for nearly 2000 years.
That ain't bad!
UnPC to do so.
Unless things have changed since the 1950s you have to be a legal resident to join.
People coming here legally from south of the border to be Americans have served with pride -- that's the way it used to be.
Using the military to dump ILLEGAL aliens in lieu of deporting (or whatever) them -- not a good idea in my opinion.
It appears the man's an anchor baby.
"It was also one of the last days Avila saw her son. Gonzalez, 19, who was born in Salinas shortly after Avila immigrated from Mexico,"
I say again, service in the armed forces of the US is an honorable path to citizenship.
I do not believe I contradicted your position in any way.
You wrote "An honorable path to citizenship?"
God bless this family, the Marine Corps, and the USA!
I can't tell you about the Air Force, the Army, the Navy, or the Coast Guard
but I can verify, having just browsed through three generations of Parris Island yearbooks (one current), that those new Marines are primarily caucasian.
In the spirit where all men are created equal, I will also state that my son's closest, most trusted best friends from boot camp and combat training were a pair of hard charging Hispanic twins.
Amnesty and citizenship, for every immigrant service person!
NOW!
See post 29
For LEGAL aliens on the path to citizenship, I would agree.
Recruiting illegal aliens with an allegence to a foreign power would open a whole host of problems.
But when Victor did get into the Marines, when that day came, I was so proud of him."
Avila paused to allow her tears. "It was a beautiful day." This was her third Mother's Day without her son. May God in Heaven and all those guarding the streets of Heaven defend and protect her always.
Ditto
NEED A GREEN CARD TO BE IN THE ARMED FOIRCES. NEXT...
Wait, I think he's onto something here.
Give illegals caught in our country the option of enlisting in the military and earning citizenship or deportation. In fact, you could offer that to Mexicans who haven't immigrated illegally as well.
"This shows that Hispanics are contributing to our country and doing their share of fighting on war of terror."
Apparently you've been in a coma. The issue is not HISPANICS, it's ILLEGALS.
A few threads down you say, "One solution to the illegal immigration crisis is to have illegals join the U.S. Military."
Sorry, I do not want the frontline of my country's defense peopled with lawbreakers. We know that these folks are onlyi coming here to take what they can TAKE...and you want to give them a pathway to citizenship by putting them in the military?
You know, as poverty-stricken as some Mexicans are, many Sudanese are far, far worse off. If their poverty is one of the main reasons they seek to come here, why don't we just go over them and offer any takers free transportation to the US, then three squares and a rack and a paycheck and healthcare for a couple years of military service--all of it ending in US citizenship. We would empty the country in 36 hours, there'd be so many takers.
"Guarding the streets of Heaven" -- isn't that a bit like gilding gold? Or dampening water?
Somehow sound theology seems to go out the window when it comes to sentiment about the services.
Good points.
I was just talking to my wife the other night that 4 years service in the military would absolve the crime of illegally entering our country. (Works for me)
It would also be a good way to weed out the bad apples who get a one way ticket back to their country of origin within 24 hours of being declared unfit to serve.
Good point. Just heard over half of all Latinos are over here illegally. So let them serve in our military to help pay for the freedoms they enjoy
It is from the Marines' Hymn. http://www.answers.com/topic/marines-hymn
It was also used as a code cipher in one of W.E.B. Griffith's novels.
recent news story on gang members joining the armed forces to learn new ways to kill.
earlier this week, news story on gang members enlisting to learn different ways to kill.
good post
BTTT
And I raise all of you one Bible.
In a word, Yes.
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