ATLANTA — A World War II veteran almost missed the flight of a lifetime because he couldn't prove something he thought was obvious: He's an American.
Sherwin Callander was at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Monday afternoon to complete a lifelong dream. The 93-year-old is heading back to the beaches of Normandy for the first time since D-Day. He had planned to be there for the 70th commemoration on Friday, but he almost didn't make it because he couldn't get a passport.
When he applied, Callander, who was in the Navy during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was a part of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of France, couldn’t legally prove he was an American.
"I had a birth certificate, but I was born in Canada," said Callander. Callander's mother was an American citizen, but according to his granddaughter, "Prior to 1934, one could not inherit citizenship through their mothers, only through their fathers. But in 1994, the immigration reform act retroactively changed that. So Papa has been a citizen since birth."
Citizenship and immigration services officials heard of the issues and spent the weekend working to blast away the red tape and make his citizenship official.
“It's a real honor to serve Mr. Callander,” said Joseph Kernen with U.S.C.I.S. “His selfless action for our country is something to be honored.”
On Monday, at the U.S.C.I.S. offices in Atlanta, Callander received his certificate of citizenship. From there, he went straight to the passport agency and then to the airport.
“The longer you live the more you have to be thankful for,” Callander said as he held his certificate. “I’m just so proud and so thankful.”
His granddaughter videotaped the moment Callander took his oath, affirming the loyalty he had all along. He called it one of the proudest moments of his life.
His citizenship, however, wasn’t the only struggle Callander and his family faced to get him to this point. They also had to pay for the trip to France.
The ABC affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama, did a story about the family's last minute online fundraising and in a matter of days they were able to raise more than $10,000 for plane tickets and hotels.
Callander leaves from Hartsfield Monday evening. His family says he should arrive to Normandy in plenty of time for Friday's commemoration. Callander will also celebrate his 94th birthday later this week. His granddaughter created a Facebook page to follow Callander's journey in Normandy.
His family plans to donate the extra fundraising money to a military cause.