My great grandmother was a Gottscheer my great grandfather (only one I new, he was her second husband) was from Hamburg, Germany as best I can recall. My great grandmother, got a job, soon after arriving in the USA as a house servant for a Mrs. Whistler (I always wondered if she was related to the famous subject of the portrait Whistler's mother, Anna Matilda (née McNeill) Whistler). In her very early days there, my great grandmother was brought before Mrs.Whistler, she was young and scared. Luckily even though she spoke little to no English, Mrs. Whistler spoke to her in fluent German. She told my great grandmother: 'from this moment forward, you will speak no other language in my house other than English'. From then on, while she did speak covertly to other servants in German to help her learn English, she never did so in front of Mrs. Whistler and she learned to speak English as fast as she could learn. In no time she had mastered her new language, then it was English only. She became one of Mrs. Whistler's favorite servants if not her actual favorite. She wound up working for Mrs. Whistler for many years until Mrs. Whistler died. Much to my great grandmother's surprise she was left a small fortune by Mrs. Whistler. When she told me this story, many times, I could see that she would well up with pride and honor to have done so.
After she got married, her husband supposedly told her he was going to California to seek his fortune. He never returned. My great grandmother would tell all who asked, that she was informed he died out there. Years later the rumor was he had abandoned her and went back to Gottschee, but that came from some of her grandchildren. No one knows for sure but I tended to believe my great grandmother because she then remarried the great grandfather, whom I came to know, and she was quite moral. As I said he was from Hamburg, Germany and was the son of the headmaster of a school. His dad wanted him to follow in his footsteps but he had other plans. He ran away from home in his later teens and became a merchant seaman. He sailed around the world, saw shipmates attacked and eaten by sharks, saw other shipmates killed by Nile crocodiles and was arrested in Havana, Cuba with another shipmate when their ship sailed without them because they were too drunk to make it back aboard in time on the morning after a night of carousing. They were promptly deported aboard another ship that was headed to the same port as was their ship. Luckily, or not, they were reunited in the next port and immediately put in the brig on bread and water. That did not last too long, at least for my great grandfather as he was the head chef aboard that ship. He always told me that it was well worth it because Havana was the best port city of them all prior to Castro, lots of good cigars, excellent casinos, beautiful women and just lots of fun. Well, much the same as my great grandmother, when he immigrated to the USA he quickly learned to speak English, he had also learned some Spanish when a merchant seaman.
They both became U.S. Citizens by way of naturalization. When I was about to go into the Border Patrol, to begin my career in federal law enforcement in 1979, she took out their naturalization certificates, and showed them to me for not the first time. If I remember right, they both were naturalized at the same naturalization service. The date was July 4th, cannot recall the year, I believe it was in Yankee stadium but I''ll be damned if I swear to that, it is a vague memory. As she told me how wonderful it was to become a .S. citizen tears rolled down her cheeks - she was immensely prouder than even her time with Mrs. Whistler about them becoming citizens. She told me it had been the proudest day of her life.
The aliens who illegally enter our country now, or at least during the time years of my career from 1979 to 2011, who are/were from Central & South America, for the most part do not strive to become citizens in my experience. Many only want to make money and send it home to their families, then depart, spend their earnings, then return illegally again. I am guessing, based on my experience and on interviews of literally thousands of illegals, that at least 60 to 75% of the illegal aliens from south of the border fit that description as do many from other parts of the world. My other guess is that it is the same currently but that is pretty much pure guesswork based upon what I see of them on the news when they exhibit total disregard for our laws and customs). Of course, many illegal aliens hope to do right (after the fact they they entered against the law) and hope to earn citizenship sooner or later but I am convinced not most. Instead, of deportations, this country has catered to them from countries south of the southern border, making Spanish a second U.S. Language and allowing, even encouraging millions of criminals (every illegal alien has committed a crime when entering this country illegally or overstaying a visa - that is an absolute fact that only democrats, RINOs & other leftists try to dispute as far as I am aware) to enter illegally and stay here without any negative consequences. Joe Biden obviously did it for political reasons, to gain future voters whom he and other democrats believed would vote in more liberals and they did not care if those millions included the scum of the earth like murderers, rapists, child molesters, gang members and so on. Biden made my blood boil when he did so. If I was prone to committing illegal acts, I may have tried to attend one of his rallies to punch him in his ugly face but I most certainly do not do stuff like that nor do I want to go to jail. So I just voted for Trump - again, this last time being the third time.
Coincidentally, my wife just sent me a picture, less than 30 seconds ago, as I write this last part:
It is of my grandson. My wife as born in Germany, came here legally, naturalized and of course learned to speak fluently in English. She sent our daughter to German language school. Well my daughter did likewise with our grandson. The picture my wife just sent me shows my grandson (my step-daughter's son for clarification) wearing a bronze medal. Of course he speaks English and that will always be his first language but it is okay to learn another one, especially that of your ancestors to honor them, or even that of the country you entered illegally if you really want to acclimate. My grandson was awarded that medal today for being the most improved student in German grammar at a German language school on Long Island in NY. Das ist sehr gut!
I say happy Memorial Day not because it is a three day weekend or the start of summer fun but because you should be happy to live in the USA and happy for the rights we have and our liberties to enjoy them. We would not have them if not for the ultimate sacrifice made by so many of our military service members who lost their lives for our great nation and for us and that is why it should be a solemn day as well as a happy one. Take at least a moment if not most of the day to think of they in our military who perished during war or other conflict while fighting for the USA.
Although written by a Canadian, this poem says it all about the sacrifices made by too many military troops.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. The author, lost his life in WW I.All the best,Glenn B