# Does/did serving in the US Army every make a person a naturalized citizen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471 "2005-02-17T03:31:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/1 "2005-02-17T03:31:13Z")
In the case of a person of foreign citizenship joining the US Army. Did this ever earn one naturalized status? This is part of my ongoing quest to obtain Italian citizenship, and there is no evidence that my great-grandfather ever became a US citizen after coming over from Italy other than his Army discharge papers. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/2 "2005-02-17T06:26:40Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > In the case of a person of foreign citizenship joining the US Army. Did this ever earn one naturalized status? This is part of my ongoing quest to obtain Italian citizenship, and there is no evidence that my great-grandfather ever became a US citizen after coming over from Italy other than his Army discharge papers. I’m not sure its relevant, but assuming he was naturalized, it doesn’t mean that he lost his italian citizenship… ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/3 "2005-02-17T06:31:25Z")
Post 9/11 the US military has given preference to military members for gaining citizenship. Before that, a good portion of the force were not US citizens and did not have preference over normal citizens. Don’t have a cite except I was in the military during this time. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/4 "2005-02-17T06:50:16Z")
I believe the standard 5 year waiting period becomes a 3 year waiting period if you join the military. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/5 "2005-02-17T13:31:34Z")
The naturalization is not automatic. A soldier/sailor/airman/Marine must still apply, but the process is shorter – and has even been shortened more – for those who are in the military vice those who are not. > **[How to Become a Citizen While in the U.S. Military](https://www.thebalancecareers.com/becoming-a-citizen-in-the-u-s-military-3356945)** > > A member of the U.S. Armed Forces interested in becoming a U.S. citizen may be eligible to apply for citizenship under special provisions. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/6 "2005-02-17T13:48:53Z")
I also understand that the U.S. has granted citizenship posthumously to non-citizen U.S. servicemembers killed in action in Iraq and Afganistan. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/7 "2005-02-17T16:08:05Z")
Is there any practical benefit to the granting of postmortem citizenship? (Just wondering.) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/8 "2005-02-17T16:32:50Z")
Survivor’s benefits of some kind? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/9 "2005-02-17T16:45:52Z")
Do the survivors of non-citizen soldiers get different benefits than the survivors of citizen soldiers? ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/10 "2005-02-17T17:26:10Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > This is part of my ongoing quest to obtain Italian citizenship, and there is no evidence that my great-grandfather ever became a US citizen after coming over from Italy other than his Army discharge papers. Are there any European countries that grant citizenship based on one great-grandparent? If that were the case, I think a very high percentage of the US would qualify… ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/11 "2005-02-17T17:29:50Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > Don’t have a cite except I was in the military during this time. For a second I thought you meant you served in WWI like my great-grandfather. 🙂 Wow. **alterego** is ooooold! **clairobscur** : according to the information I have, if he became naturalized in that time period, he relinquished his Italian citizenship. Since he served before my grandfather was born, he would have had no citizenship to pass on to my grandfather. Hypothetically, if he had become naturalized after the birth of my grandfather, my grandfather would still have had citizenship rights. But since there is no evidence of his obtaining citizenship, I think its safe to proceed under the assumption that he never became naturalized. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-serving-in-the-us-army-every-make-a-person-a-naturalized-citizen/290471/12 "2005-02-18T15:31:19Z")
During WWII, Mrs. Duality’s grandfather, a Filipino, served “with” the U.S. Army in the Philippines. The discharge document is long lost, but I’ve seen a photograph of it (_not_ a photocopy). The family also has photos of him in uniform. The family says that Filipino veterans were promised U.S. citizenship but none ever got it.