You won't want to miss the photo on the front page of the Thursday, July 11 New York Times. It shows former president George W. Bush standing proudly between two freshly naturalized U.S. citizens. One is a Nigerian in his U.S. Army dress uniform. The other is a Filipino in his U.S. Marine dress uniform. The message is clear. We are a nation of immigrants, a nation made great by immigrants. Ironically one of the headlines next to the photo reads, "G,O.P. In House Resists Overhaul For Immigration." It's as though Former President Bush is saying, "So what's the hold-up?"
I had numerous reflections about the two young immigrants pictured. The young Filipino U.S. Marine, now American citizen, put me in mind of the famous all-Filipino unit in the U.S. Army that distinguished itself in the Battle of Bataan in late January to early April of 1942. They were called "The Scouts." They were MacArthur's prize soldiers, and they were regarded as the "best soldiers" on Bataan--on either side. One anecdote tells of a group of Scouts relieving U.S. soldiers with some friendly ribbing: "It's OK, Joe, we're here now."
The young Nigerian reminded me of my 1993 visit to Ghana, the next-door neighbor to Nigeria and also a former British colony. I visited the Ashanti area of Ghana, inland from the capital, Accra. One of my memorable discoveries was the World War Two museum, a sturdy bamboo structure filled with pictures of Ashantis in British uniform, but with the focus on the face. Tribal markings and no smiles. I thought, "how would I react if I were to face one of these soldiers in the jungles of Burma, as the Japanese had to do?"
So, Mr. Bush, I agree. What's the hold-up?
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