Former Illegal Immigrant Follows Path to Military Service

Arizona Republic reported that: Oscar Vazquez, a former illegal immigrant who returned to Mexico and successfully applied to re-enter legally, has joined the Army. The move can lead him to the front lines as well as to U.S. citizenship. Vazquez, 24, who graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree, had long talked of joining the military. He discussed it last summer as he sat in a tiny duplex apartment in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico, waiting for the government to decide whether he was worthy to live legally in the United States. Vazquez visited a Phoenix recruiter in January, his wife, Karla Vazquez, said. Even the recruiters were surprised that the newly minted resident wanted to join. "It was like, 'And the first thing you want to do is join the Army? OK.' " she said. Upon getting his visa and returning to the United States in August, Oscar looked for an engineering job, his wife said, but found little success. Companies were not hiring, she said. Frustrated, Oscar decided it was time to enlist. Karla said she always knew her husband would join the armed forces.