16 become citizens at naturalization ceremony
FARMINGTON – America has 16 new citizens. Sixteen people from 11 countries became citizens of the United States on Friday in a special naturalization ceremony at Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
“This will be a day you will never forget,” Michael J. Klinger, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Pittsburgh, told the group. “This is a day you will talk about for a long time – a day your family will talk about for a long time.”
The naturalization ceremony – the first ever to take place at Fort Necessity – was part of the Citizenship and Immigration Services office’s annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The office estimated 9,000 candidates would become citizens at 63 special ceremonies held across the country and around the world from Sept. 13-24.
The Fort Necessity ceremony was one of 22 that USCIS held at national park sites under the theme “Embrace Citizenship – Experience America Through Your National Parks.”
The new citizens who took the oath of allegiance in the theater at Fort Necessity’s interpretive center came from Chile, China, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
They included Lima Jamir, 36, of Belle Vernon, a Christian missionary for Youth with a Mission, who came to the United States 13 years ago from Nagaland, India.
“This land is a land of freedom,” he said, beaming. “If you have a dream, this is a land where you can fulfill a dream.”
Jamir came to the United States after college and lived in Hawaii, Kansas and New York before moving to Pennsylvania. His wife, who was sick and unable to attend, is from the Scranton area.
Jamir said, “I’m a Christian, so I’m a big believer. The Lord opened the door for me to come to America. I came here just for a year and 13 years later, I’m a citizen.”
Perry Rhew, chief of administrative appeals for the Citizenship and Immigration Services office, came from Washington, D.C., to deliver the keynote speech at the Fort Necessity ceremony.
Rhew said he enjoys naturalization ceremonies, particularly the excitement that new Americans bring to them. But after a while of participating in such ceremonies, he said he began to experience envy because he didn’t feel the same excitement. Rhew solved the dilemma by learning more about the United States, starting by paying more attention to the monuments in the nation’s capital that he previously walked past daily with little notice.
“I started learning more about the people who sacrificed something for this country or did something great,” he said.
Rhew began to read U.S. history and find out more about Americans he thought he knew, like “Star-Spangled Banner” composer Francis Scott Key.
“It’s me who owes you a debt of gratitude,” said Rhew. “You have inspired me to learn what I can about this country. Thank you for joining us here today and becoming an American.”
Joanne M. Hanley, superintendent of Western Pennsylvania National Parks, explained the significance of Fort Necessity to U.S. history, noting the French and Indian War set the foundation for the American Revolution.
She also shared a personal history.
“All four of my grandparents stood where you are. All four of them came from Slovakia,” Hanley noted, showing off two of their certificates of citizenship.
She said, “I’m so proud of my heritage but don’t forget you’re proud to be an American.”
The ceremony also included the singing of the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance.
Diane O’Toole, immigration services officer with the Citizenship and Immigration Services office, read the names of the candidates as Rhew presented them with certificates and Klinger gave each of them small American flags. The new Americans accepted both with smiles; a couple waved them high into the air.
President Barack Obama sent a video message that was played on the theater’s screen. He told the group, “This is now officially your country.”
Afterwards, the new Americans gathered in the lobby of the interpretive center for a group photo before taking guided tours of Fort Necessity.
Among them was Helvecia Cuadra, 56, of Pittsburgh and a native of Chile, who said, “I’m so emotional.”
A housewife, she is married to Pedro J. Velis, a chemist, who also is a native of Chile and came to the United States 30 years ago.
“I’m very happy,” Velis said about his wife. “I think it’s great because I became a citizen 20 years ago in Philadelphia. +I’m very grateful for what this country has given me in the last 30 years.”
Cuadra, who has lived here 10 years, said of the United States, “It’s beautiful. I love it.”
Mariana William, 27, of Morgantown, W.Va., was sworn in a month after her husband, Gergis William, took the oath of allegiance in Pittsburgh.
Both natives of Egypt, she has been here five years and he has lived here 13 years.
She is studying mechanical engineering at West Virginia University where he is an assistant professor of civil engineering. The couple’s daughter, Mary, 3, attended the ceremony.
“I’m very happy,” said Mariana William, smiling. “I want to live here.”