(By Kansas City Star editorial page columnist Mary Sanchez)

Statistics on Immigrant Service Members on Active Duty:
Approximately 65,000 immigrants serve in the armed forces.
More than two-thirds of the foreign born serving in the armed forces are naturalized citizens.
The foreign born represent approximately 5 percent of all active-duty personnel.
Of all military branches, the navy has the highest number of foreign-born personnel.
Approximately 8 percent of those serving in the navy are foreign born.
Over 11,000 foreign-born women are serving in the armed forces.
The top two countries of origin for foreign-born military personnel are the Philippines and Mexico.
Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for the largest percentage of the foreign born, followed closely by Asia.
As of February 2008, there were 359 service members born in Western Asia and 826 born in south-central Asia.
Nearly 11 percent of those serving in the armed forces are of Hispanic origin.
Citizenship and the Armed Forces
A July 2002 executive order made noncitizen members of the armed forces eligible for expedited US citizenship.
More than 37,250 immigrant service members have become US citizens since September 2001.
USCIS has granted posthumous citizenship to 111 military personnel killed in the line of duty since September 2001.
The 2004 policy changes have allowed USCIS to hold naturalization ceremonies at US military bases around the world.

http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=683