Red Tape & Readiness: The PCS Citizenship Marathon
- Christina DeSantis
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Moving a household across the globe is a standard part of Air Force life, but for some members of the Class of '59, the "standard" PCS came with a high-stakes race against the clock. When duty calls for an overseas tour, the logistics of packing and shipping are often overshadowed by the complex dance of immigration law.
In the following accounts, Colonel Don Brooks and Colonel Jim Reed reflect on the "Nightmare PCS" scenarios that required every bit of their military ingenuity—and a little help from sympathetic strangers and Congressional offices—to ensure their wives could join them at their next duty station as American citizens.
My Nightmare PCS
I met my wife, Jin Hee, while I was stationed in Korea. Our first assignment in the US was at Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Texas. While there, she had two goals: Obtaining her US citizenship and for us to be reassigned back to Korea...
My uniform didn't impress anyone; I was told to take a number and wait my turn, along with several hundred others. I met my wife, Jin Hee, while I was stationed in Korea. Our first assignment in the US was at Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Texas. While there, she had two goals: Obtaining her US citizenship and for us to be reassigned back to Korea. She began to hit the books, preparing for the day she could be examined for her citizenship. I put in a volunteer request for duty in Korea.
It wasn't too long until we got an answer, and it was a good one. There was a Tactical Air Control Group at Osan Air Base that had a squadron of OV-10 aircraft assigned. They were looking for someone with an extensive background in the OV-10. It seemed like a perfect match for me. Not only would we be going back to Korea, but I would also once again be flying the Bronco! Osan was just becoming an “accompanied” tour, with brand new on-base quarters being constructed. Jin Hee and I were both extremely pleased with the prospect of this assignment!
I hadn't flown the OV-10 since I left Vietnam ten years earlier, so I would need to go down to Patrick AFB, near Cape Canaveral, to get re-qualified in the plane. I was scheduled for the “short course,” but it would still take several weeks to complete.
This change of events put increased pressure on Jin Hee to obtain her citizenship before our departure...And therein lies a tale!
As I recall the rules, it normally took a person from another country seven years of residency before they could apply to become a citizen. However, there is an exception for spouses of military members. If the member has orders overseas, then the non-citizen spouse can apply within ninety days of the port call date. That, my friends, is the Catch-22---You cannot complete everything within ninety days!
In addition to all of the “normal” activities required prior to departing for an overseas tour: Disposing of my house and one car, arranging to ship a car, deciding what to pack and what to put in storage, getting scheduled for movers, finding out how to get a pet to Korea and into quarantine, etc., I had several “additional” items on my plate. There was the TDY to Patrick, I had to replace our roof due to damage by hail in a recent storm, and, of course, getting Jin Hee’s citizenship completed.
Knowing that it was going to be difficult to get everything done within a short period of time, I requested a port call earlier than necessary, so that our ninety-day window would open right away. On the first day we were legal to apply for the examination, I put on my dress uniform with all my ribbons and drove over to the Immigration and Naturalization Office in Dallas. My uniform didn't impress anyone, I was told to take a number and wait my turn, along with several hundred others.
Finally, it was my turn. I approached the gentleman at the counter and advised him that I had orders overseas and would like to schedule a citizenship exam for my wife. He said fine, he could set her up for an exam in about eighteen months. I explained to him that since I had orders and was within ninety days of my port call, I would like the early testing, in accordance with the military waiver. He patiently told me that that was the early testing, otherwise she would have to wait about three years for an examination.
I told him that was unacceptable, what options do we have? He said she could either wait for testing in eighteen months, then join me, or go with me now as a Korean citizen, then start the process all over again when we returned from Korea. I again said both options were unacceptable and that I would like to speak to the head of the department. He advised me that he was the head of the department, take it or leave it!
It was a long drive back to Fort Worth that afternoon. I really dreaded having to tell Jin Hee the bad news. It really wasn't a very happy time.
I got on the phone the next day, calling INS offices all across the country. Jin Hee was ready to take the test—she knew her stuff better than I did! All we needed to do was find an office somewhere that could work her in. Office after office gave me the same story—no one could administer her an exam within our tight time frame.
I almost hated to call the Miami INS Office, since I could only imagine how busy they must be. However, in desperation I gave them a call. Believe it or not, the lady that answered the phone there was sympathetic and understood my problem. She promised me she would work something out to help us. I told her we would be at Patrick AFB the following month and if she could give us a date during that time frame, we could arrange to come down to Miami. She said she could do one better; they had a branch office in Orlando and that she would schedule an examination there. I couldn't believe our good luck!
A large package of papers came for us to fill out prior to leaving for Patrick. One of the stated requirements was that Jin Hee needed a person that had known her since her arrival in America to appear at the examination to testify as to her character. Now where were we going to find such a person in Orlando? How are we going to solve this one?
I was discussing our progress and problems with my sister, who lived in East Texas. She had a possible answer. Her husband's brother and wife lived in Orlando. She gave them a call, and even though they had never met Jin Hee, they said they knew of her through the family and would be happy to testify as to her good character! Another square filled!
We made the long drive to Florida, and I got started in my training at Patrick. Every day while I was out at the base, Jin Hee was hitting the books, cramming for her forthcoming examination. The first weekend we had available, we made the short trip over to Orlando to meet the “almost” relatives that were going to stand up with us. They were a very nice older couple and seemed most happy to be able to assist us.
Finally, the big day came. Jin Hee was, of course, quite nervous, but felt confident that she was ready. We all went in to meet with the examiner. He was pleasant, but all business. That didn't help Jin Hee's nerves any. He was satisfied with the report of her good character and then began to ask her a few questions of a general nature. After he had determined she could converse satisfactorily in English, he moved on to more government related questions. He first asked her who made the laws of the land. Jin Hee answered that it was the Congress. He then asked how many houses made up Congress? She couldn't believe he was asking such a simple question, so she asked him if he meant how many representatives were in the House. He said no, how many houses of Congress were there? She told him two and named them. He told her fine, no more questions, and congratulated her! Even though she was delighted, she couldn't help but be a bit surprised that he didn't ask her more---all the effort she had put in, all the amendments she had learned, etc. She was disappointed she couldn't show him all she had learned!
My training was soon over, and we returned to Fort Worth. I requested that her citizenship appearance before a judge be moved to Dallas. Can you believe it, they said “No!” With all else we had to do getting ready for a move overseas, plus Jin Hee had caught a flu bug, we had to fly back to Orlando, just so she could stand before a judge in the same area as her examination and swear to be a good citizen!
Well, now that she had her citizenship certificate in hand, we could finally apply for her passport! Time was running out. I went back to the Base Personnel office, and the very understanding sergeant there obtained a slip in my port call date. Even with the date revised as late as possible, we still didn't get her passport until less than a week before our departure date! With out-processing finally completed, we made our way out to Travis AFB for our long flight to Korea. What a nightmare!
The Congressional Route
Sheila and I had a similar story. We were married in Hong Kong just before PCSing to the U.S. Three years later I went to Thai language school preparing for an assignment to Bangkok...
"I told them that I didn’t want to cause the INS any problems, but I might have to try to get help from my congressman. I got an immediate positive response."Sheila and I had a similar story. We were married in Hong Kong just before PCSing to the U.S. Three years later, I went to Thai language school preparing for an assignment to Bangkok (requiring both a diplomatic and personal passport). I started on the same route Don followed, with similar lack of results. Finally, I told the regional INS office of the dilemma needing naturalization and eligible for expedited citizenship. I told them that I didn’t want to cause the INS any problems, but I might have to try to get help from my congressman.
I got an immediate positive response, that this was the best idea and would work. So, I sent a letter to the local congressman, got a quick response and an almost immediate appointment to complete Sheila’s citizenship application and everything was completed on time. We actually got three passports apiece - a diplomatic passport, an official business passport and a personal one.
A Different Kind of Readiness
A Note from General Dick Carr
General Dick Carr recalls a different perspective on the challenges of deployment: "I had to leave my wife behind three times for as much as 3 1/2 months, but she was a citizen, had a passport and knew the 'ropes' as well as I did!"
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