2005年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-Immigrant Soldiers Fighting in the U.S. M

There are some 30,000 immigrants serving in the US military who are not US citizens. Even as overall recruiting numbers slip , non-citizen recruits have remained a steady source of new enlistees. From member station KQED, Sasha Khokha spoke¹ with immigrant families in Fresno California about why their children join.

22-year-old LL is paging through a photo album.

That's a picture of me at airport. That's our,that's our first day in United States right here.

It's a snapshot of a wide-eyed 10-year-old boy, recently arrived from Hmong refugee camp in Thailand. And on the same page, another photo of L a decade later standing² confident dressed in army fatigues³.

And this is one of the a Palace, Saddam Hussein's Palace, just the one had a big statue. It's on the news caught on fire, everything...

L returned last July from six months in Iraq as a gunner for the army. He enlisted⁴ his senior year in high school. L didn't tell his parents. He knew his mother J Y would be devastated⁵.

I was worried beyond being worried. I kept thinking of my son were a needle or a thread I could hide him in my palm or my shirts so no one could see him, and could take him away from me.

But for her son L, joining the army boosted his pride he says. It also brought him closer to his dream of becoming a police officer by giving him training and expediting his US citizenship⁶. A new rule since 9/11 allows soldiers with green cards to be eligible⁷ for citizenship immediately.

The Arms Services have actively⁸ promoted recruiting in Latino communities like here in Fresno, California's 2nd poorest county. At this recruitment center, applicants⁹ can be offered signing bonuses and tuition help as much as 70,000 dollars.

Congratulation man!
Thanks.
Yeah, it's alright. Would your mom and dad know?
I haven't yet told them.
He's 18. He still has to talk to them to let them know.
I've already told them, so it doesn't matter if they say no or not. I'm gonna do it anyways..
Ok.I just wanna, I always wanna ask you because, you know, they're gonna support you regardless...

Like many recruiters, sergeant¹⁰ R L says one of the biggest obstacles is convincing immigrant parents to let their kids sign up.

When we have an appointment, especially if mom and dad doesn't speak well English, we try to bring somebody that's been in the army to speak fluent Spanish, and that way they feel better. At least they see somebody that's been through it.

However not all immigrant parents respond positively¹¹. H K was infuriated when Spanish-speaking recruiters came to his house.

They sell them a shiny panorama¹². They promise them the earth and the sky. And what they end up with are bombs and bullets in their bodies. They end up in a coffin¹³.

K became so angry when his son enlisted that he told him not to return to the family's home after boot camp. Father and son are now estranged¹⁴ because of their differences over the war in Iraq. K remains¹⁵ convinced that Latino communities are disproportionately targeted for military service.

UC San Diego professor H M while a critic of what he calls "False Advertising¹⁶" by the military says "Latinos are not disproportionately targeted."

What happens is recruitment is much more powerful in communities with limited opportunities, so that means these kids don't have a lot of other options. So when it finally plays out because Latinos are the largest demographic group of military-age young people and will be for well into the next century. It looks as if Latinos have been disproportionately recruited. But it's really more of a class issue.

M says even though some young people maybe dissuaded¹⁷ because of continuing casualties in Iraq, the military's appeal to those young men and women remains strong.

For a family like LL's, Hmong refugees who live in a housing project and are on welfare, the economic advantages are clear.

Today the army is helping¹⁸ pay L's tuition at community college where he's studying criminology. And his mom is proud.

I really didn't want my son to go at first. But I'm really lucky that we were able to come to the United States and that my son could bring honor to the family.I'm thankful that he came back unharmed.

L still has another four years to serve

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

4 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

8 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

9 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

10 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

11 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

12 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

13 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

14 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

17 dissuaded   

劝（某人）勿做某事，劝阻( dissuade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was easily dissuaded from going. 他很容易就接受劝告不走了。
• Ulysses was not to be dissuaded from his attempt. 尤利西斯想前去解救的决心不为所动。

18 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。