Jack posthumously gets US citizenship

Pohnpeian-born Derence W. Jack was posthumously granted U.S. citizenship Friday for making the ultimate sacrifice for his adopted country.

Visiting federal official David Cohen bestowed the citizenship to Jack during the funeral service at Mount Carmel Cathedral Friday afternoon. Local military representatives arranged the conferment of citizenship.

A copy of the certificate was provided to Jack’s wife Melissa after the ceremony. An original copy from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is expected to arrive shortly.

According to Rep. Arnold Palacios, uncle to Mrs. Jack, the fallen soldier’s family moved from Pohnpei to the Northern Marianas during the Trust Territory period. Jack, who was two years old then, had lived in the Commonwealth since.

“It was a very good gesture on the part of the nation to give Jeff [Jack] the U.S. citizenship. He served the nation honorably and paid the ultimate price for our country,” Palacios said.

Cohen, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for insular affairs, said he was honored to have been part of the ceremony.

“I had nothing to do with arranging for Corporal Jack to get citizenship, but I am tremendously honored to be a part of it. It was probably the greatest honor that I have ever received and it is something that jack very much deserved,” Cohen said.

“I believe [the Federated States of Micronesia] will be proud to continue to claim him as one of their own. We don’t deny his Micronesian heritage but we’re extremely proud to claim him as an American as well,” he added.

There is a considerable number of soldiers from Palau, FSM, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands who are currently fighting with the U.S. Army. In addition, there are also a number of servicemen from Pacific nations not affiliated with the United States, such as Samoa and Fiji. They are fighting in U.S. wars while remaining citizens of island nations of their birth.

Jack, 31, was one of the two Saipan soldiers who were killed when a bomb blew up while they were on patrol in Balad, Iraq on Oct. 31.

He was due to come home in less than four months.

Jack and Wilgene Lieto, 28, were both members of Echo Company. They were among the U.S. Army reservists called to active duty in August 2004. After months of training, they left for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq in January 2005.

Jack was a Gualo Rai resident and worked as cash department manager at Bank of Guam. He was married to Melissa Jack and had a 4-year-old daughter.

Lieto was a police officer from Tanapag. He was married to Tiara Lieto, with whom he had a 4-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.