Marine combat veteran recounts 'crushing' deportation to El Salvador

I had the same thought sir.

Section 329 of the INA (8 U.S.C. §1440) provides for expedited naturalization
through U.S. military service during periods of hostilities.
On July 3, 2002, President George W. Bush officially designated the period
beginning on September 11, 2001, as a “period of hostilities,” which triggered
immediate naturalization eligibility for active-duty U.S. military service members.
The justification offered for this order is the war against terrorism conducted through
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle in response to the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. At the time of the designation, the Department
of Defense and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service announced that they would work together to ensure that military naturalization applications would
be processed expeditiously.
He should have become a citizen while on active duty.
I do realize that DoD and INS may not have worked together as agreed, or as would be expected, but he owed it to himself to press it, as did his leadership owe it to assist him, of he made the attempt during service. The article doesn't provide that information.
I had a Soldier who attempted to take advantage of this so called agreement to work together--they didn't. It took me directing him to complain to the IG to get any movement. Unfortunately, I doubt that either DoD or INS did anything more than respond to individual complaints, rather than fixing the systemic problems that created those individual complaints.
Federal agencies rarely do so.
If he only applied for citizenship post his criminal behavior, his actions, regardless of any contributing cause, made him ineligible based on the moral requirement. It is unfortunate for him, but his military service is of little importance, unless he applied during service and was mishandled.

I don't remember the specifics but will state the program to convert foreign born SMs have faced open promises. This also relevant to translators.