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Veteran thanks his own 'angels'

San Angelo Standard-Times (TX) - 11/26/2014

Nov. 26--Standing before the American flag, Hector Gonzales raised his right hand and took the Oath of Allegiance that confirmed the 67-year-old Army veteran's U.S. citizenship -- something he never doubted.

"This is proof of what he always believed to be true," said Tim Counts, spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "He just didn't have the evidence."

Gonzales was born in Piedras Negras, Mexico, to an American mother. He has always known the U.S. as home, but it wasn't until about 11:30 a.m.Nov. 13 that he received official proof of citizenship.

"It's a lift off my chest. It's great," Gonzales said.

Gonzales, a quiet man with shoulder-length gray hair, was taken into his grandparents' care after his mother died when he was 2. His grandparents brought him to the U.S. when he was 5, and he's been here ever since.

"I have no memories of Mexico," Gonzales said with a laugh, adding that he barely even speaks Spanish.

A Mexican birth certificate with a notation verifying Gonzales' U.S. citizenship had sufficed throughout his life. It wasn't until Gonzales applied for Social Security that he and his wife discovered he would need more proof than that.

The couple were behind on their rent at River Pointe Apartments, and Gonzales' wife, Monica, had just lost her job around October 2013. Not knowing what else to do, the Gonzaleses found help through two persistent women -- whom Hector Gonzales calls his "guardian angels" -- who knew them only through Southland Baptist Church's summer food program for kids.

"We just knew we had to get this fixed, but we had no clue what to do," said Sari Martin. "Through conversation we found out they were getting evicted and he couldn't get Social Security. We thought, 'What?' "

Church members and local charities such as United Way and Rust Street Ministries have helped the Gonzaleses meet various needs, including rent and transportation, but Martin and fellow church member Shelley Blanton wanted to help them get back on their feet.

Martin and Blanton began a lengthy inquiry on how to verify Gonzales' citizenship.

After months of digging and boxes of paperwork, Martin and Blanton submitted Gonzales' case for USCIS consideration, with the help of Nellie Diaz, at the Franciscan Resource Center, and JoAnne Powell, San Angelo regional director at U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway's office.

"We just had the determination; they had the knowledge," Martin said.

"I'm happy to help," Powell said. "We're doing what we're here to do."

Laws have changed multiple times since 1947, when Gonzales was born, as has what is an acceptable form of verification.

Powell and Counts noted that successful verification of citizenship like in Gonzales' case doesn't always happen.

"Some people live their entire lives ... and there's never any need for them to produce a citizenship certificate," Counts said. "It's not until they get to retirement age when they come to our office seeking assistance."

Powell said it's always disappointing when residents don't have adequate documentation to verify their citizenship.

"If it doesn't go through, I just wonder if there's a stone I didn't turn," she said. "So when you see someone like (Gonzales), it's very rewarding."

Because Gonzales had his mother's birth certificate -- confirming she was a U.S. citizen -- and his honorable discharge as an Army sergeant, he was able to verify the U.S. was his home.

"I just kept telling him, 'Have faith.' He was always nervous," Monica Gonzales said. "Once you're a citizen, you're always a citizen."

The Gonzales' holiday season was further brightened when the USCIS San Antonio office expedited his case -- which typically can take more than six months or a year -- so he is able to begin receiving Social Security on Christmas Eve.

"We knew his case was important because of his situation," Counts said.

The case was such a cause for celebration that the USCIS San Antonio office held a little party for Gonzales on the day he went to take his Oath of Allegiance.

"We were doing the happy dance," Blanton said with a laugh. "To watch him being sworn in was one of the best things I've ever seen."

The next step, Martin and Blanton said, is to look into getting medical benefits for Gonzales as an Army veteran -- but not before a break for the holidays.

"I never though that was going to happen, that I'd get documentation," Hector Gonzales said. "Now that I do have documentation, maybe I can find a job."

Gonzales, a soft-spoken man, expressed his relief and gratitude both for the financial and the administrative help throughout the process.

"I feel a lot more comfortable. I can walk freely now," Gonzales said. "It's like God sent them for me."

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(c)2014 the San Angelo Standard-Times (San Angelo, Texas)

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