Story of Vietnam veteran Leslie Smith

Dear Friend,

One of my most important responsibilities in Congress is to ensure we serve our veterans as well as they have served us. I wanted to share with you the remarkable story of Hayward resident and Vietnam veteran, Specialist Leslie Smith.

Specialist Smith was born in Switzerland but lived his adult life thinking he was a U.S. citizen because he was promised citizenship in return for his service in the U.S. Army. He was even provided a Social Security Number. However, he was thrown for a loop earlier this year when he was denied Social Security benefits, learning he was not, in fact, a citizen.

Specialist Smith contacted my office and we worked with federal officials to fix this injustice and secure expedited citizenship processing. On April 16, Specialist Smith took his citizenship oath in my Hayward office and I presented him with the Certificate of Citizenship.

Click to watch the proud moment as Vietnam veteran Leslie Smith finally becomes a U.S. citizen.

As always, it is an honor to serve you. If my office can help you or someone you know with immigration services, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or another federal agency, please contact my East Bay offices at 510-370-3322 or 925-460-5100. To stay connected, please follow me on Twitter and join me on Facebook.

Sincerely,

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Eric Swalwell
Member of Congress