A Filipino mother, who is a permanent resident and a taxpayer in the United States, and lost her son in combat in Afghanistan, has been denied a Gold Star by the American Gold Star Mothers Inc., a group that honors moms who lost their sons or daughters in America's wars.
Army Staff Sgt. and U.S. Marine Anthony Lagman was leading his unit to route remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda forces from Afghanistan last year when they came under enemy fire. Sgt. Lagman was killed in action and his name was submitted to AGSM so that they could honor his mother. (He was a Marine and also in the U.S. Army--see this story)
It was not to be. AGSM found out she was not an American citizen and denied her the gold star that her son bought and paid for with his blood and his life.
If he was good enough to be accepted into the Armed Forces of the United States, and good enough to die for his adopted country, it shouldn't matter what nationality HIS MOTHER is. Many foreign nationals enlist in the U.S. military to speed up their U.S. citizenship applications and many of them are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for their new flag and for their fellow U.S. soldiers. Are they any less worthy of being honored than those who were born here?
AGSM has the right to decide on their own rules, but they should keep their rules consistant with the changing make-up of the U.S. Armed Forces. And they should honor this fallen soldier's mom.
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