The Value of Being American Citizens
My Mom and my Grandmother had no problem becoming American citizens, and wanted Tyll and I to become citizens, also. However, there were issues with that. Both parents' signatures are required and my father was either prisoner of war, or missing in action since the beginning of the Second World War somewhere on the Romanian Front. We had no news from him or any persons that could give us information about him. It destroyed my Mother over the years not to know what had happened to him, and Oma had searched with letters to the Red Cross and missing persons ads to find any news about him. This was just continued salt into that wound, that we had to have his signature to become citizens. She had an official letter from the German Government stating he was missing in action. It was not sufficient. She was "Presumed Dead" by the German Government. Not sufficient for the American government. She got a lawyer, Mr. Dammerell, to help her with her case. First, he got the State of Ohio to declare him "Presumed Dead". Not sufficient for our citizenship. Then he got the federal government involved. Senators or representatives would try to get "favors", such as special wavers passed in our case. Not possible.
This all took years. We were in this country longer than most and still had no citizenship. Mother wanted us naturalized BEFORE Tyll turned 18.
"Doctor" Dammarell came to the house to work on this problem. Mom and Oma called him Doctor out of respect, since he was a lawyer, and in Germany he would have had his "Doktor" degree. Mom would dress up to go out to dinner with Doktor Dammarell,, and return with the lastest news of our case. He had suggested divorce before, but at the time, men were the ones that filed, and that caused issues in this case. Finally, one day after years went by, he came to our house, proposing a solution, which took Mom by surprise. She would be able to get this citizenship of the children in one way only. Now he had a novel suggestion. He could arrange for our Father's "willful" leave of absence, as a cause for her to divorce him. Certainly after these many years after the end of the Second World War if he had wanted to return, he would have. Then she would no longer need his signature.
At first she was not willing to do this. She spent days mourning this turn of events. Then, as if the answer came to her suddenly, she decided to go ahead, saying, "Fritz would understand, and besides, if he came back I would marry him again the moment I saw him!" It hurt her to deny her husband, but in the end, she filed for divorce. There were several big stories in the papers, and ballet students and my friends at school talked about this strange turn of events, but after she filed for divorce, Tyll and I were finally allowed to become American citizens.
I valued my citizenship, because I realized from a young age, how much my Mother treasured the relationship with my Father. It brings tears to my eyes today. He would want her to to do this, the ultimate sacrifice, to allow his children citizenship of this free country.
This all took years. We were in this country longer than most and still had no citizenship. Mother wanted us naturalized BEFORE Tyll turned 18.
"Doctor" Dammarell came to the house to work on this problem. Mom and Oma called him Doctor out of respect, since he was a lawyer, and in Germany he would have had his "Doktor" degree. Mom would dress up to go out to dinner with Doktor Dammarell,, and return with the lastest news of our case. He had suggested divorce before, but at the time, men were the ones that filed, and that caused issues in this case. Finally, one day after years went by, he came to our house, proposing a solution, which took Mom by surprise. She would be able to get this citizenship of the children in one way only. Now he had a novel suggestion. He could arrange for our Father's "willful" leave of absence, as a cause for her to divorce him. Certainly after these many years after the end of the Second World War if he had wanted to return, he would have. Then she would no longer need his signature.
At first she was not willing to do this. She spent days mourning this turn of events. Then, as if the answer came to her suddenly, she decided to go ahead, saying, "Fritz would understand, and besides, if he came back I would marry him again the moment I saw him!" It hurt her to deny her husband, but in the end, she filed for divorce. There were several big stories in the papers, and ballet students and my friends at school talked about this strange turn of events, but after she filed for divorce, Tyll and I were finally allowed to become American citizens.
I valued my citizenship, because I realized from a young age, how much my Mother treasured the relationship with my Father. It brings tears to my eyes today. He would want her to to do this, the ultimate sacrifice, to allow his children citizenship of this free country.
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