Derb, I certainly agree that America’s troubles at military recruiting are a dangerous sign. Still, I’m not convinced that this idea won’t fly. As for history, the British empire was essentially maintained by foreign troops. In India, for example, a shockingly small number of British troops were supplemented by huge numbers of Indian “sepoys.” True, there was the famous sepoy mutiny, but I don’t think anyone is recommending the sort of massive disproportion of foreign born troops that the British had in India. The point is, Britain’s world-wide military power at its zenith depended on foreign troops. What we’re talking about here would only be the merest fraction of that. Another sort of example was sent in by a reader: a Brit named Rick Rescorla who volunteered for duty in Vietnam and eventually became an American citizen. Rescorla’s story is worth a read. Tough to top it for patriotism.