Proud new citizens: ‘This is my country’

indeonline.com ^ | Nov 12, 2007 | Stephen Huba

[Hornitos]

Proud new citizens: ‘This is my country’
By Stephen Huba

Until Friday, Dragan Sekulic was a man without a country.

In the past 12 years, he has been a displaced person, a refugee and a citizen of a defunct country.

Now he’s a citizen of the United States.

Sekulic, 25, of Massillon, was one of 10 people to take the oath of citizenship Friday at Stark County Common Pleas Court in downtown Canton.

“Now I can be a model citizen as far as exercising the right to vote. I can be a good citizen in the community,” he said.

Sekulic, a truck driver owner-operator, came to the United States in 1997 after spending two years as a war refugee in the former Yugoslavia. Living as a Serb in Croatia, he had to flee in 1995 because of the civil war that led to Yugoslavia’s breakup.

On Friday, he renounced all former citizenships, promised to defend the laws and Constitution of the United States and vowed to bear arms on behalf of his adopted country if necessary.

After applying for citizenship in June, Sekulic had to take a short oral test and prove that he could read and write English.

His journey to citizenship culminated Friday in a solemn ceremony led by Stark County Common Pleas Judge Taryn L. Heath and attended by First Lady Frances Strickland.

“You are an inspiration to all of us. You set a goal and stuck with it,” Strickland said. “Instead of congratulating you, I just want to thank you and welcome you.”

As the new citizens sat in the jury box, Heath implored them to participate in government by voting and answering the call to jury duty. She noted that their first vote will be for the next president.

“Practice your customs. Share your culture ... with all of us,” Heath said, “because that’s what makes our country great.”

The six women and four men who took the oath were from all over the world – Romania, India, the Philippines, Ukraine, Morocco, Canada and China.

Nisrine Benmessaoud Zahir, the woman from Morocco, wiped away tears as GlenOak High School student Alyssa Gouge sang the national anthem at the beginning of the ceremony.

After Stark County Clerk of Courts Nancy Reinbold administered the oath of citizenship, the new citizens recited the pledge of allegiance and were given certificates and flag pins.

Richa Mathur, of India, left no doubt as to why she became a citizen.

“I like it here, and I want to stay here,” she said.

Mathur, 38, of Jackson Township, came to the United States in 1995 to marry her husband, Anant. Their two children, Veda, 9, and Ishita, 5, attend Sauder Elementary and were at Friday’s ceremony.

“My daughters helped me a lot,” Mathur said.

Becoming a citizen was not hard, she said, but being a citizen is a great responsibility.

“Now I can vote,” she said. “I’ll try to do what I can do for the country. This is my country.”

[Hornitos]

Veterans Day Ceremony Welcomes New Citizens On Midway
124 Marines, Sailors Take Oath Of Citizenship
Mari Payton, NBC 7/39 Reporter

POSTED: 6:32 am PST November 12, 2007
UPDATED: 3:53 pm PST November 12, 2007

The ceremony, which started at 9 a.m., is the fourth annual Veterans Day citizenship ceremony aboard the Midway.

Among the new U.S. citizens will be more than 10 service members from the USS Peleliu who returned from deployment on Sept. 20.

One of the new citizens is Sergio Gonzalez, 22, a Navy man. He told NBC 7/39, "I love this country. I have been to Iraq twice, two combat deployments. Being over there, looking at the flag, it chokes me up a little bit."

The new citizens come from 31 countries: Argentina, Belize, Canada, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Mexico, Micronesia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Palau, Peru, Philippines, Russia, St. Vincent, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, Uganda and Venezuela. . . .

Full article here:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14571407/detail.html

Video:
http://video.nbcsandiego.com/player/?id=183455

[RDTF]

you’re still here? With your disrespectful posts and rants?

[Hornitos]

Troops Made US Citizens in Afghanistan
By JASON STRAZIUSO – 11 hours ago

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Sixty U.S. service members from countries including Cuba, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Vietnam became American citizens on Monday during a ceremony in Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, congratulated the soldiers on their new citizenship and thanked them for the oath they took to defend the United States.

"Today they will swear a second oath to the country they've already pledged to defend," Rodriguez said at a ceremony coinciding with Veterans Day. "An oath of allegiance to the nation they are supporting as a member of her armed forces, deployed in harm's way, defending the citizens of the world from terrorism.

"There is no better way to recognize the sacrifices they are making here than to grant them the right to call themselves U.S. citizens," Rodriguez said at the main U.S. base, Bagram.

A day earlier, more than 150 American soldiers in Iraq were sworn in as U.S. citizens during a ceremony at the Balad Air Base in Balad, north of Baghdad.

Citizenship is not a requirement to join the U.S. military, but serving in the armed forces is a way to qualify for citizenship, said spokesman Maj. Chris Belcher.

Christopher Dell, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, told the soldiers that their presence in Afghanistan, in uniform, is the "greatest possible testament to your readiness for citizenship."

"As you sit here today you have already sacrificed tremendously for our country," he said. "You have left your families behind, endured difficult training and placed yourself in great danger, all to serve America before you could truly call her your own." . . .

Source

[Hornitos]

you’re still here? With your disrespectful posts and rants?

You still smarting from being bested in an open debate with facts, I see.

[1066AD]

Applied in June.. it only took five months, wow that’s quick.

[RDTF]

you won’t be here with that username for very long

[Hornitos]

Applied in June.. it only took five months, wow that’s quick.

It couldn't have include a U.S. passport; they take maybe 10 months to acquire nowadays. ;-)

[angkor]

"Practice your customs. Share your culture ... with all of us," Heath said, "because that’s what makes our country great."

Pho, spaghetti, pizza, tacos, bagels and lox have made America great.

Do the Serbs have anything good to eat?

[Tennessee Nana]

What’s the point of this post?

You dont agree with legal immigration...You champion illegal aliens...something none of these wonderful people are...

These people are REAL immigrants and have jumped through every hoop to enter the US and to stay here and now they are naturalized American citizens...it’s an insult to them for you to post this here...

ILLEGAL ALIENS AND THEIR APOLOGISTS ARE ANTI-IMMIGRATION

[Tamar1973]

Pho, spaghetti, pizza, tacos, bagels and lox have made America great.

Amen! I love Vietnamese food! LOL! Don't forget to add sushi and kimchi to that list. LOL!

[Hornitos]

Where have I ever championed illegal immigration? Or claimed I am against legal immigration? Again, you are unable to back up your libelous statements with facts. All I do is counter the Nativist and non-conservative knee-jerk baloney, such as when their facts are wrong or when they equate Hispanics with illegals or even call for their murder. If that makes me a pariah in yours or others eyes I shall wear it as a badge of honor.

[Hornitos]

Crab Meat and Asparagus soup!

[Comparative Advantage]

Beer, Brats and Sauerkraut!

[angkor]

Don't forget to add sushi and kimchi to that list. LOL!

Yeah, all that too. And Chinese take out.

(An aside: "chow mein" is actually a 100 percent American dish invented by Chinese chefs to suit the American palate during Gold Rush days. There is no "chow mein" in authentic Chinese cuisine.)

[RDTF]

give it a rest. All anyone has to do is look at your (short) post history

[Tamar1973]

(An aside: "chow mein" is actually a 100 percent American dish invented by Chinese chefs to suit the American palate during Gold Rush days. There is no "chow mein" in authentic Chinese cuisine.)

Yeah, I don't remember seeing it when I was there, either! LOL!

[Cacique]

This should be an interesting thread.

Cacique's Recomended Reading List for week of November 12, 2007
CLICK ON ANY COVER FOR MORE INFORMATION

[angkor]

Crab Meat and Asparagus soup!

I had some last weekend , but it was not my normal dive and the sup cua was too bland.

[Tennessee Nana]

Nor I...

I found that real Chinese dishes didnt look like “Chinese” food

LOL