INTERESTING STORY

An illegal immigrant at Fort Stewart in Hinesville who served with the Army in Iraq is on track to becoming a U.S. citizen next week.

Pfc. Juan Escalante, who enlisted by showing a fake green card he bought for $50, could take the oath Wednesday in Seattle, where he grew up. The Army helped him pursue citizenship on the grounds that he is a valuable soldier who risked his life in a war zone.

"I feel great," Escalante said. "This is what I've been looking for ever since my parents told me I was illegal."

Escalante's parents brought him to the United States from Mexico when he was 4. He has lived in this country ever since and said he considers himself an American...

Escalante may become a citizen as a result of an executive order the president issued to help noncitizens on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, the day America was attacked by terrorists. The order eliminated a three-year wait they otherwise would have faced before they could apply for citizenship.