Six Questions: Vet denied Social Security benefits

Posted: Nov 20, 2008 03:54 PM PST


SPOKANE, Wash. - He was born in Germany to an American soldier and a German mother at the end of World War II and moved to the United States before his first birthday.

It is here where Johnny Marple has lived and worked for the last 60-plus years.

Now ready to retire, Marple has discovered a troubling problem: He can't collect Social Security because he is not considered a U.S. citizen. This despite the fact he was drafted into the U.S. Army, served our country during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged.

Marple has a Social Security number and has paid into the system for the past 40 years after working in the newspaper industry, but now, he's facing a financial crisis.

There's a video at the link.

http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=9 ... =menu438_2