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 taff Sergeant Anthony Lagman 28, was a
true soldier and Marine. It must have been in his blood.
 Enlisting in
the Marines right out of High School—in fact, immediately after graduation, Lagman
joined the US Marine Corps, then the US Army, serving with pride and honor all the way
to the very end. Staff Sergeant Lagman was killed during a firefight in
Afghanistan on March 18, 2004 while battling remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaida
forces. His body was flown back to the US and the fallen hero was buried with
all the honors befitting a patriot, an American, a soldier and a Marine.
Had this story ended here, the Filipino-American community might have silently
grieved the loss of one of its own, and moved on…with pride,
knowing its young men and women could be depended on to deliver in times
of need.
Unfortunately, it does not end there. Staff Sergeant Lagman’s mother Ligaya has
lived in the United States for almost 3 decades. She is a legal resident who,
along with her now ailing husband, worked hard and played by the rules of this
country all her life.
 Just recently, the Gold Star Mothers,
Inc., the largest national organization of
mothers whose sons or daughters were killed in combat, denied her application
for membership
citing the fact that she was not a US citizen.
The organization’s national President Ann Herd noted pointedly that "There's
nothing we can do because that's what our organization says: You have to be an
American citizen. We can't go changing the rules every time the wind blows."
While many Americans, including veterans groups are dismayed by the stance
taken by the Gold Star Mothers, some in the Fil-Am community cannot help but
suspect racial undertones behind the denial. After all, Sergeant Lagman fought
alongside his fellow soldiers and died in battle with others in his unit whose mothers
would surely have been welcomed with open arms by the organization.
We say to Mrs. Lagman, ‘You don’t need to join the Gold Star Mothers!’ As far we
in the Filipino-American community are concerned, you will always be much more
than a gold star mom to all of us.
Postscript:
On June 27, 2005, the American Gold Star Mothers revised their charter to allow
Ligaya Lagman and other non-citizen mothers like her to become members. It took a
lot of prodding from various sectors public and private, as well as a new
National President, Judith Young--and last but not least, the efforts of
many Philippine NewsLink readers who voiced their concerns and sent out letters
and petitions. It proves that united, we can right wrongs! Give yourselves a
well-deserved pat on the back! -- PNL
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