Samoans Win Battle To Be Soldier

A United States Army recruiting team descended on American Samoa recently to enlist men and women for the United States Army. The Pub licity they created, plus the usual offers of good pay, security and other goodies helped to draw flocks of American Samoan youth to the recruiting headquarters. , Not long after 35 were enlisted and sworn in, and 75 more were on the point of being gathered in, a directive came from the US Army Depart ment putting a stop to the recruiters’ efforts. No non-citizens wanted, they said. It was a sad turn of events r, not only for the recruiters themselves, who had put a lot of hard work into the campaign, but also for the potential recruits many of whom had left satisfying and well-paid jobs to try for greener pastures promised by the US Army.

Almost immediately, influential people in American Samoa contacted the territory’s Delegate-at-Large in Washington DC. Fuimaono Asuemu. to see if the department’s policy could be reversed.

Fuimaono, an influential politician on the Washington scene, managed to convince the Assistant Secretary for Defence, Dr Mars, of the need to provide employment in the US Armed Forces for American Samoans. Dr

Mars was persuaded. , , .

A hearing was held at the Defence Department and the American Samoans emerged the winners. The Defence Department decided to open the army and to recruit non-citizens. Recruiting in American Samoa then Hundreds of American Samoans are already in the United States armed forces. During the Vietnam War, 24 lost their lives and scores were wounded.