Veteran, 95, Gets Proof of Citizenship
United Press International
Apr 08, 2011
A 95-year-old veteran of the U.S. Navy finally has written proof he is a U.S. citizen.
Leland Davidson of Centralia, Wash., was born in British Columbia to parents who were U.S. citizens and returned there when he was 5. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and traveled frequently to Canada but never applied for a U.S. passport.
Davidson learned he might have a problem recently when he sought a Washington state enhanced driver's license so he could continue to cross the border under more stringent security rules, The Seattle Times reported. The Department of Licensing told him he was a Canadian.
He got his certificate of citizenship Tuesday with 51 other people. But he may have had the biggest crowd there, with 28 relatives on hand.
"They're probably relieved that I wasn't deported as an illegal alien," he said.
Rose Schoolcraft, Davidson's daughter, said the family was actually warned at one point that her father could be deported or lose Social Security benefits if he persisted in trying to claim citizenship. Officials got more helpful when news stories appeared about Davidson's plight.
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Copyright 2011 by United Press International
