Serving as a soldier has become a shortcut to naturalization. Young Chinese people are eager to join the army (pictures)

Being a soldier is a shortcut to naturalization. Young Chinese people are eager to join the army (pictures) The U.S. Army Special Recruitment has opened 54 types of green cards...

The U.S. Army Special Recruitment has opened 54 types of green cards to quickly naturalize American citizens, attracting a large number of Chinese to apply.

Pictured are U.S. Army Personnel Staff Sergeant Wang Qiang (left), Army Commander Patrik W. Caukin in charge of the San Gabriel Valley Recruitment Office (middle), and U.S. Army Airborne Division Chinese-American Staff Sergeant Sandy (right).

The U.S. Army's "Short-Demand Talent Recruitment Program", which provides "quick naturalization" and "generous benefits" for 54 "non-green card" statuses, has been launched for two days, attracting a large number of Chinese aspiring young people in Southern California to sign up, including Chinese international students from many universities such as the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and the University of California, San Diego. There are also doctors and masters who are preparing to "write and join the army", which has busy the recruitment office.

“I’ve been so busy these two days!” U.S. Army Commander Patrik Caukin, who is responsible for coordinating recruitment work at the four recruiting offices in the San Gabriel Valley including El Monte, Azusa, Rowland Heights, and Pomona, said that since starting work on Monday, the four offices have been flooded with Chinese recruits. The office phone has been ringing non-stop, with a steady stream of people inquiring about the recruitment situation. During the two days, hundreds of Chinese people made a special trip to the four offices to register or inquire about details.

This special recruitment plan MAVNI (Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest), will recruit bilingual personnel including Chinese, Korean, Thai, Filipino and other 60 languages ​​from around the world. The targets are mainly men and women aged 17 to 34 who have lived in the United States legally in the past two years but have not yet obtained permanent residence (green card) in the United States, including Chinese international students in the United States, spouses of international students, etc., all have the opportunity to join the US military, skip the green card application process, and quickly become American citizens.

At the U.S. Army Recruiting Office in El Monte, there has been a steady stream of Chinese young people applying for the draft in the past two days. Sandy, a Chinese-American Army sergeant, said that many Chinese international students came in groups, and some of them were parents who came to inquire about the situation for their children. Because there were so many applicants, the recruitment office, which normally closed at 5 p.m., had to postpone its closing until 9 p.m.

Preliminary statistics show that 80% of the Chinese applicants are international students, including current international students, international students who have completed their studies and are doing internships. Many Chinese students who have obtained doctorates and master's degrees are also among the applicants.

A female Ph.D. who just graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law this summer and passed the California Bar Examination said that instead of spending a lot of time facing the long and complicated adjustment of immigration status, it is better to join the military and serve the United States, killing two birds with one stone. She hopes to become a U.S. Army lawyer in the future.

On the 2nd, the Zhangs made a special trip to the El Monte Military Recruitment Office to inquire about their only son’s status as a soldier. They said, “A good man wants to be a soldier” and hoped that their son would be trained and grow up in the army. Mrs. Zhang said that she grew up in the army and knew that "people trained by the army are different." Her son was pampered since he was a child and "believes that only by leaving his parents can he go higher and further." However, Mrs. Zhang said that her son is currently a third-year international student at UC San Diego and will graduate in one year. “This is what makes us most embarrassed.”

Mrs. Han, who accompanied her niece who was studying at Pasadena Community College to apply for the draft that day, said that her daughter had been in the Navy for four years in San Diego and is currently studying accounting at the University of California in San Diego. "My experience is that my daughter is the right choice to join the military!" Mrs. Han said that her daughter joined the Army at the age of 18 and after four years in the Navy, "the whole person is very mature."

Recruitment Office Commander Patrik Caukin said that the number of Asian and Chinese soldiers in the San Gabriel Valley has increased significantly in recent years. As many as 90% to 95% of new recruits are Asian, and the majority of them are Chinese. Although rapid naturalization is a quick way to resolve immigration status, the opportunities and development prospects in the military are also very attractive to new immigrants.

As for whether this special recruitment by the US military means the potential for war? Caukin said that after recent wars, the United States currently has no plans to send troops. However, he said that even if it is not used for military purposes, the US military will be used for other purposes. For example, during the earthquake in Haiti two years ago, the United States sent a large number of troops to help with rescue operations. "The functions of the military are diverse."