Eleven Seabees from Six Countries Become U.S. Citizens

POINT MUGU, Calif. (NNS) -- Eleven Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 became U.S. citizens Feb, 12 during a naturalization ceremony hosted by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the Fleet Readiness Center, Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.

Service members from six different countries stood together and recited the Oath of Allegiance and officially become American citizens.

"Taking the oath meant a lot to me," said Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Lesdisi Dube, former citizen of Nigeria. "It has always been a dream of mine to become a U.S. Citizen."

During the ceremony, each citizen returned their permanent residents card, took the oath and received a certificate of naturalization.

"The ceremony didn't really have an effect on me until I was presented with an American Flag," said Construction Electrician 3rd Class Jan Charles Morales, former citizen of the Republic of the Philippines. "Once I was holding that flag, I knew that I had made the best decision in my life."

The nations represented by the service members were Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Philippines. The diversity of each service member helps bring new innovative idea and experiences to the U.S. military.

An executive order passed in June 2002 made earning U.S. citizenship a little easier, by expediting the naturalization of aliens serving on active duty in the war against terrorism. Since the president's executive order, close to 20,000 applications have been submitted throughout the Navy.

"It allows them to become citizens at a much faster rate," said Jordan Heckler, an adjunction officer with USCIS. "Before that, they had to live in country for five years, now they can be on active duty for six months and become a citizen."

NMCB 5 is currently engaged in an aggressive homeport training cycle in preparation for the upcoming deployment to the Central Command Area of Responsibility.

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb5.