 One of the privileges of U.S. citizenship is the opportunity to become a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps.When there is a draft, a non-citizen can be drafted as a resident alien, or can join in the ranks as a foreigner, but cannot be an officer without U.S. citizenship.Lance Corporal Jose Vasquez, a 28-year-old Marine who was born near Monterrey, Mexico, came to the United States as a three-month-old baby, growing up in Houston, Texas.