Speech #680079238

Mr. Chairman. the amendment I have intro(laced merely 1iermits the mothers and fathers of naturalized veterans who served in our military or naval forces for lit least 60 days during the war to enter the United States. regardless of the age limitation or quota. My amendment would not probably apply to more than a few hundred mothers and fathers who are under 55 years of age. as those over that age are included .n the present bill. We drafted our naturalized citizens and those who had taken out first papers. and nearly all of these later became naturalized. Many of these meni volunteered and others were drafted at 18. so that now five years after the war many of their mothers anti fathers ae in their forties and well under the age limit set in the bill. I think you will agree with me that we owe something to those naturalized citizens who served in our armed forces. and that it would be a simple act of justice to let the mothers and fathers of these former service men. who are citizens of the United States. enter the country If they are under 55 years just as much as if they were above that arbitrarily fixed age. I know there are cses of this kind. I have one in my own district. and I am sure there must be others. but they are very few in number. certainly less than a thousand. It is very little to ask of Congress. and it should be adopted as an act of gratitude and appreciation for the naturalized citizens who fought in our Army. There Is no class of exservice men more deserving of appreciation front this House than these naturalized citizens. It seems scarcely coneeivable that I should be obliged to come before the membership of this Iouse and plead with you to permit the mothers and fathers of these defenders of our country to enter America. who are under the age limit prescribed in the bill. Thee men. in my opinion. won the right to bring their mothers and fathers here by the very act of serving in our Army in time of war. I would be willing to send an American transport. escorted by a battleship. to bring to the United States free of charge the mothers and fathers of these naturalized citizens who wore the American uniform. I would go further and arrange such a welcome for them In New York City that every naturalized citizen would remember to his dying day that the people of the United States are proud and grateful for the splendid services of its adopted sons. If this could be arranged I am sure that every war veterans organization and every patriotic and American organization would be there to extend a heartfelt welcome and. If necessary. to raise a purse to provide for the comforts and to speed these mothers and fathers on their way to good citizenship. Gentlemen. renember this: There were 400.000 aliens and naturalized citizens who were In our armed forces during the war. they served shoulder to shoulder with the nativeborn Americans. their record is comparable with the native born for loyalty. patriotism. and bravery. Consider the makeup of the Seventyseventh Division. composed to a considerable extent of men of Italian and Jewish origin. The record of these men is written in letters of blood upon the annals of that famous division. The New York National Guard Division. kniown as the " Fighting Twentyseventh." which broke through the Hindenburg line. had a large sprinkling of naturalized citizens within its ranks. and muany of them are still buried in the American cemetery at Bony. France. in New York City there are plenty of exservice men of Italian origin. of Jewish origin. and of Polish origin who received the very highest decorations for gallantry in battle. and there ore also thousands of them who paid the supreme sacrifice on the fields of Flanders and France. I think this amendment would be acceptable to all the veterans of the World War and I think it should be acceptable to everybody who understands it.