Is this possible? Can a non-US citizen but with a green card serve in the US army?
I’ve heard conflicting anecdotal stories on this and the goarmy website didn’t turn up much in my quick search. Although the US Marine Corp specifically requires you to be an American Citizen.
Part of what sparked this is the story about thousands of Canadians joining the US Army to fight in Vietnam. Now I don’t know if this was the US Army “looking the other way” in this case or something else. Or maybe only in times of war etc.
I know the Canadian Armed Forces allows non-citizens but “landed immigrants” to serve in the Reserves but not in the Regular Force.
I am quite sure that it’s not even only that a resident non-citizen can serve, it’s that he is obligated to register and will be drafted if the draft comes.
And even non-resident aliens (people of other countries) have served in US forces.
Anywho, non-US citizens can and do serve in the American Army with distinction. I knew dozens of 'em. I owuldn’t want to say about their grenn-card status, I never thought to ask.
I had a Marine in my battalion ten years back who was Haitian with a Green Card. He got all kinds of awards for being a translator when the Marines went into Haiti. Then they found out he bought his Green Card on a street corner and threw his ass out. Good Guy, other than that.
Filipino with both an f and an i is the correct way to spell that one. My reference is Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary.
When the United States of America and the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas) had a status of forces agreement, that agreement permitted a certain number of male Philippine citizens to be recruited into the US Armed Forces as non-immigrant aliens. In other words, they got to serve in our military but were not on the immigration track. After the Philippine Congress decided not to renew the SOFA, no more recruitment along that line was permitted; however, those who had already enlisted under that plan remain in service.