The new program is still in its pilot stage. It will allow immigrants to enlist in the U.S. Army after residing legally in the United States for at least two years. Applicants do not need to have green cards or hold U.S. citizenship.
For immigrants wanting to become U.S. citizens, the program will greatly speed up the application process, as military naturalizations now have to be processed within six months—as opposed to the sometimes five or six years wait endured by many.
At Times Square, the national anthem was played to launch the event. Soldiers stood in full salute as the music played. A batch of new recruits stood in line, some enduring the cold wind calmly while awaiting the arrival of Army Chief of Staff General George Casey Jr. who would conduct the ceremony to swear them into service.
Once the music finished, Mr. Casey stepped forward to give a few words to the new recruits, some of whom were among the first batch of non-U.S. citizen enlistees.
“You’re joining an organization that is the best in the world at what it does,” he said. “It’s not just about physical strength. It’s about having the moral strength to persevere when things get very, very hard. We say we’re ‘Army strong’ because of our values, because of our diversity, and because of our warrior ethos.”
He then administered the oath of enlistment, whose words have gone largely unchanged since the time of the American Revolution. The new recruits raised their right hands and recited the words. Other military personnel in the audience also stood to reaffirm their oaths to defend the constitution, follow the orders of the president, and to follow regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
