I also say. Mr. President. that Americans should never lose sight of the fact that this Is a nation of immigrants. It is something that I feel particularly strongly about since both of my parents were immigrants. My father came to the United States at the age of 18. literally walked across Europe from the Ukraine with barely a ruble in his pocket. rode steerage. the bottom of the boat. to come to America for a better life for himself and his family. My father was a great contributor to the United States. He did not know when he came over steerage he had a roundtrip ticket back to Europe. back to France. not to Paris and the Follies Bergere. but to the Argonne Forest. where he served with great pride in the United States Army. He rose to the rank of buck private. I say that somewhat facetiously because my dad was at the bottom of the totem pole in rank but at the top of the totem pole in dedication. loyalty. bravery. In the Argonne Forest. he sustained shrapnel in his legs. wounds he carried with him until the day he died. But he was a great American. a great contributor to this country. He was an immigrant. If he had been barred from the United States. I would not be in the U.S.
Keywords matched
immigrant immigrants steerage