Other Nationalities in US Army - And Da Man

[Panther Al]

One of the things that gets a lot of discussion in my group, as well as occasionally here, is the status and reasons for those other than americans serving in US units. One of my players went off on how the US Army would never let it happen.

I gave a lot of good reasons why it would happen, and his comeback was, "Name one soldier who excelled in the US Army that didn't start in it."

So, I gave him Lauri Allan Trni.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_Trni

Talk about a guy who had one hell of odd military life - and wound up being played by John Wayne.

What sort of logic do you all give when presented the point of view that it wouldn't happen in your games

[HorseSoldier]

One of the things that gets a lot of discussion in my group, as well as occasionally here, is the status and reasons for those other than americans serving in US units. One of my players went off on how the US Army would never let it happen.

Your player doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. One word answer: KATUSA.

Once the nukes fly, US forces are going to face a severe manpower shortage. Local levies are going to be necessary. Plus a need for translators and local guides, getting more and more severe as units shift from normal military operations to being an all-encompassing only-thing-that-passes-for-local-government sort of entities.

[Targan]

It is well known that the US military will accept recruits that don't have US citizenship. Although its not about the US Army, look at Generation: Kill, there is a US Marine in that who is Brazilian (he keeps speaking in Portuguese over the comms net in the heat of battle and no one can understand him).

[Panther Al]

Indeed, we had a Czech and a Frenchman in our unit during OIF (As he put it, he had France's entire allocation of balls - and my apologies to our french forum members, he said it, not I!), what I am dealing with is finding enough other sources to get my player to shut up about it.

[Legbreaker]

I know of at least one Australian who joined the 82nd - he was front page news back in 93 (I think) when elements of the Division jumped into Singleton training area, right off the plane from the US. Poor men had to endure a flight halfway around the world in the usual military comfort and then jump!

[Panther Al]

That sounds.... horrid. I flew coach on both Quantas and Air NZed (The better of the two in my experience) all the times I went to see family down by Wellington, bad enough as is. But in jump gear packed liked sardines in the back of lifter Gah. *shudders*

[StainlessSteelCynic]

That sounds.... horrid. I flew coach on both Quantas and Air NZed (The better of the two in my experience) all the times I went to see family down by Wellington, bad enough as is. But in jump gear packed liked sardines in the back of lifter Gah. *shudders*

I have to agree...
I once flew approximately 1000km (680 miles) nonstop in a RAAF C-130 but we were bog standard Infantry and that was bad enough let alone packed in on a transcontinental flight.
And
Qantas is pretty damned average as an airline (personally I prefer Singapore Airlines).

[Canadian Army]

The first marine to die in Iraq was Jos Antonio Gutirrez from Guatemala. Before making his way to the United States, Gutirrez was an orphan who lived on the streets of Guatemala City, until he was taken in by Casa Alianza, the Latin American branch of Covenant House, a New York-based child advocacy organisation.

[JHart]

To add that the guy doesn't have clue, I knew a girl who was born Canadian and was serving in the US Navy. She couldn't be a nuclear tech because of security but otherwise it wasn't a problem


I also remember reading a Soldier magazine circa 1995 that had an article about a Ukrainian national who was a US Army Lt. I was in ROTC at the time and thought only US citizens could be officers, then I learned about waivers. There are waivers for (nearly) everything!

The US, as well as many other nations, have a history for having foreign nationals in service. The Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben and General Pulaski, to name a few notable examples.

In the manpower shortage in T2K I imagine the question would be "Are you a Commie" and "Do you want to eat"

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah there were several members of the 82nd who were Mexican Citizens.

[Adm.Lee]

I now remember something a professor once told me. He had been a platoon leader in Vietnam, and one of his troops was a Canadian volunteer. So many Americans running to his country to avoid the war, he needed to balance things out, was the guess.

[Fusilier]

I now remember something a professor once told me. He had been a platoon leader in Vietnam, and one of his troops was a Canadian volunteer. So many Americans running to his country to avoid the war, he needed to balance things out, was the guess.

35,000 Canadian volunteers served in the US military during the Vietnam war.

[Canadian Army]

I was in ROTC at the time and thought only US citizens could be officers, then I learned about waivers.

Some foreign officers have made all the way to the top: Generals John Shalikashvili (Georgia); former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997; Walter Krueger (Germany), command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II; and George Kenney (Canada), commander of the Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) from August 1942 until 1945.

In Walter Krueger's case he went from Private to General; serving in three wars in process and founded the Alamo Scouts, consisting of small teams of highly trained volunteers, would operate deep behind enemy lines to provide intelligence-gathering and tactical reconnaissance in advance of Sixth U.S. Army landing operations.

Also here is a link regarding the make up of Union Forces during the civil war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army#Ethnic_groups

[Adm.Lee]

35,000 Canadian volunteers served in the US military during the Vietnam war.

More than I would have guessed, thanks for the number.

[Abbott Shaull]

Also here is a link regarding the make up of Union Forces during the civil war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army#Ethnic_groups

Yes, but consider the number immigrants that were coming to the US and it continual expansion to the west, it not surprising to find the Civil War Union Army with high ratio of immigrates serving in the ranks.