The United States Army Looking to recruit Igbos

U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship
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Military officials want to attract immigrants who have native knowledge of languages and cultures that the Pentagon considers strategically vital. The program will also be open to students and refugees.

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The Army’s one-year pilot program will begin in New York City to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. The Army’s program will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days.

Pentagon officials expect that the lure of accelerated citizenship will be powerful. Under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration, immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.

For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States on temporary visas, the path to citizenship is uncertain and at best agonizingly long, often lasting more than a decade. The military also waives naturalization fees, which are at least $675.

To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.

Language experts will have to serve four years of active duty, and health care professionals will serve three years of active duty or six years in the Reserves. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.

Commenters who vented their suspicions of the program on Military.com said it could be used by terrorists to penetrate the armed forces.

At a street corner recruiting station in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Campos of the Army said he had already fielded calls from temporary immigrants who heard rumors about the program.

“We’re going to give people the opportunity to be part of the United States who are dying to be part of this country and they weren’t able to before now,” said Sergeant Campos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and became a United States citizen after he joined the Army.

Sergeant Campos said he saw how useful it was to have soldiers who were native Arabic speakers during two tours in Iraq.

“The first time around we didn’t have soldier translators,” he said. “But now that we have soldiers as translators, we are able to trust more, we are able to accomplish the mission with more accuracy.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15immig.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&hp

make I go ooo as far as I wont go 2 war, lol

   

that one? please ooo

Don't be deceived New York Times is just trying to sell their paper.It must be rumors because we have not had anything about this .I am talking from the point view of an insider who is in the system but,if it does happen I hope some naijas do take advantage of it and act as soon as their can but as of now their is no such thing going on in the US Army.If you join you are on your own and you must have a Green Card to join the military and also you will have to take ASVAB it does not matter the branch you want to join which means study your ASVAB guide and be ready to use the computer.

do you think the oyinbos are running away from the Hausa? if so why? is it because of their religious background? what abt their fighing zeal, why ignore it, ? ummm many question right? let's see your take.

kayusa, it might be true. i understand if you can speak any other tribe you can get pay for it. not sure of nigeria lang though.

may be the hausas are conniving with Americans to exterminate the igbos by sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Don't mind them. Oyibos don't understand Nigeria. They only mentioned igbo there because it's the language spoken in Nollywood.

I won't be surprised if those igbos smuggle the AK47s and M16s and sell them to the terrorists! 

Does anybody know the mode of application? I'm an original Igbo boy and want to be recruited.

yes. 


@ PurestBoy
it is the gospel truth, nothing but the truth. the igbos can do anything for the sake of money. too much guile.

Seriously, why are they looking for Igbos? 

Or are some of our nna brethren now fighting for Osama and supporting Ahmadinejad? 

This is even more serious - is the US saying that Al-Qaeda is trying to learn JUJU from Nollywood or are they giving up on conventional weapons and want to use Okija Shrine Juju to catch Osama? 

I can only think of one reason why they may want the Igbos, the economic crunch has caught up with the US Army too.

was this necessary  
rofl  

@ ifyalways
thanks jare. it is so easy to know the likes of PurestBoy who lacks basic home training.

why the ibos, i wonder, ooo, this us stuff dey wan take all the ibo commot for nigeria and take them to afghanistan and iraqi mak osama kill dem finish. dem bi the only person wey dey cause for trouble for nigeria. lest i forget make dem put the south south too so that nigeria go fit better.

 

So many tribalists and biased people on nairaland!