Jul 1, 2008 5:54 pm US/Eastern
Fallen Soldier Granted Citizenship After His Death
RANDALLSTOWN, Md. (WJZ) ―
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The death of a Randallstown soldier may make it easier for men and women in military to become U.S. citizens.
CBS
A gold star mother creates a legacy for her fallen hero son.
Political reporter Pat Warren explains how the death of a Randallstown soldier may make it easier for men and women in the military to become U.S. citizens.
He's both an American hero and an American tragedy.
What Kendell Frederick, 21, wanted as much as to serve his country was to become a citizen of it. He was born in Trinidad, enlisted and was sent to Iraq. When immigration refused to accept his military fingerprints for processing his U.S. citizenship, he was sent to Baghdad to cut through the red tape. On the way, he was killed by a roadside bomb.
"So what we tried to do is craft a lie which would make it easier for our young soldiers to get their citizenship," said Rep. Elijah Cummings.
This ceremony is for Michelle Murphy as much as her son. Through her hard work, lawmakers were moved to pass the Kendell Frederick Citizen Assistance Act, which was signed by the president just last week.
"There are 20,000 men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who have green cards and would like their citizenship," said Senator Barbara Mikulski.
Kendell Frederick became an American one week after his death.
"It can't help my son because he's gone on," said Michelle Murphy. "I saw there was something wrong with the system and it had to be fixed."
The groundwork for fixing it has now been laid.
The Kendell Frederick Citizen Assistance Act has several directives, including better coordination between military and immigration officials.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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