November 15, 2010 - Republican Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. of Knoxville, Tennessee is a hero! He pressed a bill forward in the House of Representatives, and successfully obtained passage of the bill with no objection from any of the 435 members of Congress! The bill, H.R. 6397, the "Marine Sergeant Michael H. Ferschke, Jr. Memorial Act" now proceeds to the Senate for action. Please urge your Senators to Act before Congress is over this year, as the bill will die without action in the Senate.
May 8, 2010 - Broken Promises Break Hearts - Knoxville News Sentinel (News Article) Lucas Quass, Proxy Marriages & the Military Widow Penalty: Excluding Alien Widows of Fallen Soldiers, 20 S. CAL. REV. L. &SOC. JUST. (forthcoming 2011). In this forthcoming article, Mr. Quass outlines the history behind proxy marriages and the consummation requirement, and why the law needs to be amended to allow an exception to the consummation requirement for military spouses where the service member is deployed abroad.
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) have taken up the fight for the Ferschke's. Having served his country as a combat Marine in Vietnam, Senator Webb recognizes the sacrifice our soldiers make to secure our nation. That sacrifice should be honored by protecting the widows and children of our fallen soldiers. Congressman Duncan, who enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 1970 and rose to the rank of Captain, is the Ferschke family's Congressman, and is leading efforts in the House.
Legislative efforts are being made by Senator Webb and Congressman Duncan, reinforced by support from both Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN). Almost every year the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides military-specific immigration provisions to support the work of our armed forces, and the Senate Armed Services Committee oversees this authorization bill each year. You can view the list of Committee members by clicking on the link below.
Committee on Armed Services It is our hope that this group of Senators can include language in the NDAA this year that would allow Mrs. Ferschke's marriage to be recognized for immigration purposes as long as the military recognizes the marriage. We can help by encouraging members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services to support Senator Webb's efforts. Call them, email them, and help them to understand this issue and its resolution!
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