tyovan4 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 To Minister McDowell: Dear Sir, my name is Todd Yovanovich. I am an American citizen and have lived all of my life in America. Both of my parents were born in America, as were my grandparents. The closest Irish relative I know if is my great-great-grandmother, Nervie Carbaugh. However, I have a dream. I dream of being an Irish citizen. You may be curious as to why a sixteen year-old American citizen would be writing you, the Irish Minister of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform about his dreams of being an Irish citizen. I will attempt to explain in this letter why I am writing you. I write you requesting that I be granted Irish citizenship. I believe that you are the only man in the government of the Republic who has the authority to review citizenship requests and accept or decline them. I also believe that you have the power to wave some of the traditional requirements for citizenship in some situations. I respectfully and sincerely ask you for assistance and compassion. I have no money to invest in economic citizenship programs in some countries, nor do I have recent enough Irish relatives to become a citizen of the Republic through descent. The most recent Irish relative of which I have knowledge would probably be my great-great-grandmother, Nervie Carbaugh. You may ask why I am requesting Irish citizenship and why I am asking you for assistance and compassion. I have thought about enlisting as a soldier in the British army, probably in either the Irish Guards, or the Royal Irish Regiment. However, citizenship of a Commonwealth country is required to be permitted to join. Sadly, I do not have Commonwealth citizenship. However, if granted Irish citizenship, I would be able to enlist in the British Army. It may be possible for me to become naturalized in another Commonwealth country, but this process would take several years at which point I fear I may be too old to join the army, or it may be too difficult. You may be asking yourself at this point, why should you grant me citizenship? I ask that you show compassion and grant me citizenship in order that I have the possibility of living one of my dreams. I ask you to put aside your personal opinions of the British army or British soldiers. I have read on several news reports on the internet that there are approximately 600 Irishmen serving in the British army. I would very much like the chance to be one of them, to be prepared to serve and protect others. I am prepared for the possibility of giving my life to protect civilians in Ulster, and worldwide from fear and danger no matter who they are or who threatens them. If this does not make me the same as those noble 600 Irishmen in the British army, then I do not know what ever could. These are the reasons I am requesting that I be granted Irish citizenship. I have some Irish ancestry, but not enough for my application to be based almost solely on that fact. I have explained how the granting of Irish citizenship will allow me the possibility of achieving one of my dreams. If granted Irish citizenship, I will reside on the Isle of Ireland as a member of the British army, will be proud to call myself an Irishman, I will remain forever grateful to the land that gave me this opportunity, and will never become a burden to the State. I sincerely hope that you will take all of the above mentioned factors into consideration when it comes time to reach a decision. Very Sincerely and Respectfully, Todd Yovanovich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkriley Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Good Luck, Tyovan it's nice to follow your dreams keep trying. I'm almost full Irish my dream it to visit one day. Erin Go Braugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 I'm almost full Irish my dream it to visit one day. Are your parents Irish citizens or from Ireland? If so, you are certainly eligible for Irish citizenship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkriley Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 (edited) I'm almost full Irish my dream it to visit one day. Are your parents Irish citizens or from Ireland? If so, you are certainly eligible for Irish citizenship. 3 out of 4 of my granparents were born in Ireland but my parents were both born in the U.S. Edited May 2, 2003 by bkriley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 if you want it, i would bet money you could get it mate.. if youre interested, check out the irish embassy's website or the irish ministry of justice's ( www.justice.ie ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Maximum Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 I went to the homeland back in '96. The most beautiful place I've ever seen. I fully reccomend you go all the way with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Slaughter Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Yovanovich doesn't sound Irish to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban_Tiger Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Well best of luck Tyovan m8 !! The occasions you speak of whereupon certain conditions can be waived to gain citizenship are extremely rare tho unfortunately, and normally they are only given on the grounds of extreme compassionate reasons such as direct family problems etc, a problem it seems you don't have!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to ###### on your dream here at all lol, just be prepared if you don't have any luck, as to be honest as it stands it's highly unlikely your request will be granted !! They are going to require at least some of the usual qualifications to grant any application even if they could waive others, and basically so far you have nowhere near the minimum either!! Another avenue you could try to explore if you are looking for options is to get in touch with the Commander of a Regiment you wish to join and/or with other Senior Army officials directly and explain your interest and your reasons to them. It may be that they could consider you under the application process and if they held any specific interest in you (e.g. If you have high average Schooling and could be considered for duty as a Commisioned Officer or you are trained in a highly skilled trade etc), then they could endorse some form of sponsorship that could further help any application for citizenship. Try everything you can think of basically m8 lol, I just don't think the minister you have written to in this case will show much interest in your letter TBH !! Just out of interest, if you are interested in career in the Armed Forces why don't you apply to your own lol?? You can gaurantee that's one of the first things they will ask too lol ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 7, 2003 Author Share Posted May 7, 2003 well mates, my dad and I filled out the form and I finished my letter. I'll mail it tomorrow, they'll let me know they received it within 15 working days and will let me know if I get it or not within 15 months.. Here's the final draft: To Minister McDowell: Dear Minister Michael McDowell, T.D., My name is Todd Yovanovich. I am an American citizen and have lived all of my life in America. Both of my parents were born in America, as were my grandparents. The closest Irish relative I know of is my great-great-grandmother, Nervie Carbaugh. However, I have a dream. I dream of being an Irish citizen. You may be curious as to why a sixteen year-old American citizen would be writing you, the Irish Minister of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform about his dreams of being an Irish citizen. I will attempt to explain in this letter why I am writing you. I write you requesting that I be granted Irish citizenship. I believe that you are the only man in the government of the Republic who has the authority to review citizenship requests and accept or decline them. I also believe that you have the power to wave some of the traditional requirements for citizenship in some situations. I respectfully and sincerely ask you for assistance and compassion. I have no money to invest in economic citizenship programs in some countries, nor do I have recent enough Irish relatives to become a citizen of the Republic through descent. The most recent Irish relative of which I have knowledge would probably be my great-great-grandmother, Nervie Carbaugh. You may ask why I am requesting Irish citizenship and why I am asking you for assistance and compassion. I have thought about enlisting as a soldier in the British army, probably in either the Irish Guards, or the Royal Irish Regiment. However, citizenship of a Commonwealth country is required to be permitted to join. Sadly, I do not have Commonwealth citizenship. However, if granted Irish citizenship, I would be able to enlist in the British Army. It may be possible for me to become naturalized in another Commonwealth country, but this process would take several years at which point I fear I may be too old to join the army, or it may be too difficult. You may be asking yourself at this point, why should you grant me citizenship? I ask that you show compassion and grant me citizenship in order that I have the possibility of living one of my dreams. I ask you to put aside your personal opinions of the British army or British soldiers. I have read on several news reports on the Internet that there are approximately 600 Irishmen serving in the British army. I would very much like the chance to be one of them, to be prepared to serve and protect others. I am prepared for the possibility of giving my life to protect civilians in Ulster, and worldwide from fear and danger no matter who they are or what may threaten them. If this does not make me the same as those noble 600 Irishmen in the British army, then I do not know what ever could. These are the reasons I am requesting that I be granted Irish citizenship. I have some Irish ancestry, but not enough for my application to be based almost solely on that fact. I have explained how the granting of Irish citizenship will allow me the possibility of achieving one of my dreams. If granted Irish citizenship, I will reside on the Isle of Ireland as a member of the British army, will be proud to call myself an Irishman, I will remain forever grateful to the land that gave me this opportunity, and will never become a burden to the State. I sincerely hope that you will take all of the above mentioned factors into consideration when it comes time to reach a decision. Very sincerely and respectfully, Todd Yovanovich Yovanovich doesn't sound Irish to me. LMAO, it's not. It's Serbian. Another avenue you could try to explore if you are looking for options is to get in touch with the Commander of a Regiment you wish to join and/or with other Senior Army officials directly and explain your interest and your reasons to them. It may be that they could consider you under the application process and if they held any specific interest in you (e.g. If you have high average Schooling and could be considered for duty as a Commisioned Officer or you are trained in a highly skilled trade etc), then they could endorse some form of sponsorship that could further help any application for citizenship. That is a bloody good idea.. I just took my SAT tests and scored 1250 as a sophomore! I have 142 IQ so Im definately smarter than most. Unfortunately, you must be a Commonwealth citizen from birth in order to be an officer, which rules me out completely. I'll have to get in touch with the Irish Guards, Royal Irish, and Black Watch.. Just out of interest, if you are interested in career in the Armed Forces why don't you apply to your own lol?? You can gaurantee that's one of the first things they will ask too For a multitude of reasons.. 1. the pay is better (by about $8,000 USD a year i believe) 2. the currency is stronger, so buying stuff is even easier compared to a soldier in the us army 3. just to be different i suppose is part of it, i want to "live a life less ordinary" 4. the traditions and the regimental pride 5. ill be stationed in europe for a majority of the time 6. europe is just a short plane flight away 7. i wont be stationed in the middle of texas or kansas 8. i dont believe i'll be stationed in korea 9. if i would join the Royal Irish Regiment, i could make a difference daily 10. for the adventure 11. and last, why not? there is a whole topic about this at: http://www.ghostrecon.net/forums/index.php...=23&t=627&st=30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XavierOnasis Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 I just took my SAT tests and scored 1250 as a sophomore! Retake it at least twice more. It's a fairly large expense, but it's worth it. 1250's good, but with a 1370 I've never been offered a dime from the university Financial Aid office. You got a 146 on the Stanford-Binnet?! Egads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban_Tiger Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Hey Tyovan ! Glad the idea of direct contact with the Forces has appealed to you and obviously best of luck with it all m8, it's certainly well worth a shot and you have nothing to lose by it at all !... (bit of a bummer on the 15 month wait tho isn't it......DAMMNNN)! Only a couple of reasons then lol, but I understand ya wanting to do it totally!! As for the pay though, yes you may be better paid in the UK Forces although it can depend TBH, (US servicemen from the one's I have known being Ex-Services too) have been awarded far better benefits and increments etc for specific things too, which isn't so great under the UK protocols lol, but it's not just about money and I know your other reasons are far stronger too anyway . It obviously will greatly depend too on whether you go for a trade as such or just apply for regular Infantry etc. With it being the Irish Guards you are directly interested in tho, you will obviously be a Guardsman and as such Infantry etc when not on ceremonial duties! I had lots od freinds spread across the different Guards Regiments, but as often happens in service life you lose touch with people all too often with the frequent moves here and there etc lol!! I can tell you that they undergo one of the hardest training regimes out of all of the different Regiments in the British Army tho, so be prepared m8 lol ! They really hammer you in training and even after that it doesn't let up and they take extreme pride in EVERY attention to detail (especially when they are assigned to ceremonial duties etc obviously), it rates them up there amongst the best troops not only in the UK, but in the World too though ! Also, I was actually Royal Air Force and I knew a couple of American Officers in the service (not just Canadians or other Commonwealths)! It can differ from service to service tho and I don't and can't claim to know every qualification required for the Army etc lol!! At least ya letter is on it's way so keep the fingers crossed and get writing to the other possibles too hehehe ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 8, 2003 Author Share Posted May 8, 2003 thanks for the encouragement! i hope it works out with citizenship in the Republic as well, but I'll get in contact with the Royal Irish Regiment this weekend to see if there is any "back door" in.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban_Tiger Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Hehehe, Ya just never know these days lol ! Let us know how ya get on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban_Tiger Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Hehehe, Ya just never know these days lol ! Let us know how ya get on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 9, 2003 Author Share Posted May 9, 2003 Let us know how ya get on thanks, i sure will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terp09 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 7. i wont be stationed in the middle of texas hey, what's wrong with that? nah, i'm just playin.. but to me, texas will always be more beautiful than ireland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyovan4 Posted May 9, 2003 Author Share Posted May 9, 2003 well, the middle of Texas is far too hot for me ( I look like a Swedish submariner, I'm that pale ) and it doesn't look like the most exciting place on earth to live, sorry.. but whatever floats your boat mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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