Noncitizens in U.S. military face naturalization obstacles

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http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/15166414.htm

WASHINGTON - When Army Reserve Sgt. Kendell Frederick applied to become a U.S. citizen, he assumed that he would be approved quickly. After all, he was being deployed to Iraq, where he'd be expected to fight on behalf of the United States.

But the process dragged on for months because of paperwork mix-ups and misfiled fingerprints. In the meantime, Frederick, 21, was sent to Iraq.

Intent on straightening it out anyway, he went to a nearby base for a new set of fingerprints.

But Frederick never returned. On the way back from the base, he was killed in a roadside bombing.

Frederick's death in late 2005 highlights the plight of the more than 23,600 noncitizens serving in the U.S. military. Although they're expected to fight and possibly die for the United States, they can encounter a daunting bureaucracy when they attempt to naturalize.

"My son put his life on the line for this country," his mother, Michelle Murphy, said recently, "yet he had to beg for his citizenship."

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