29. Joining the US Army to Avoid Deportation
During a trip from his workplace in the beet farm to nearby Denver, Marcelino Serna was detained by federal enforcement authorities who were checking the legal status of men of draft age. He ended up locked up in a local jail while officials tried to verify his immigration status and eligibility for the draft.
Serna had no legal status, so after seven days behind bars, he got tired of waiting. To avoid getting deported back to Mexico, he volunteered to enlist in the US Army. Despite hardly speaking any English, he managed to make it through basic training.