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STILLWATER - Jubilant and teary-eyed immigrants completed
the last leg of their journey to becoming American citizens Monday, on the
Fourth of July, at the Saratoga
National Historical
Park battlefield.
"Congratulations to all the soon-to-be newest citizens," said
Stillwater Supervisor Greg Connors from a hill overlooking the battlefield
that he described as the place "where American independence was
born."
"What a perfect setting," Connors said, for immigrants to become
Americans.
The Citizenship Day event was the second held at the park by the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Service and was rounded out with the
Pledge of Allegiance, a musket salute by Saratoga National
Historical Park
staff, the "Star Spangled Banner" sung by Danielle McMullen, a
recital of William Tyler Page's "American Creed," and the
American Oath of Allegiance.
Assemblyman Roy McDonald, R-Wilton, wearing a red, white and blue tie for
the occasion, commented on the historic, beautiful battlefield vista in his
welcome to the 21 men and women about to take their Oath of Allegiance, but
said that places don't make a great country, people do.
America
needs "this never-ending injection of fresh people with new love and
new energy," McDonald said. "Thank you for coming here."
McDonald, a Vietnam War veteran, recognized Arthid Cianfarani of Thailand
and Carlos Duque Londono of Colombia, two immigrants who already serve in
the U.S. military, as he went on to remind the crowd that "freedom
isn't free."
Londono, of Queens wore a Marine dress
uniform to the ceremony. He said he was proud to serve America,
now as a citizen.
"What is not to like about this country?" he asked. "You
have so many opportunities to succeed."
Immigrants who hold a green card are able to serve in the military, and
often qualify for a fast-track application to naturalization.
Canadian Denise Tapia of Schenectady said
that after 11 years living in America as a resident with her
husband and two children, she said she felt it was time to get her
citizenship. She didn't expect it to be such an emotional experience.
"I feel very proud," she said. "I was teary during the
ceremony."
Tapia said one of the main reasons she wanted to become a citizen was to
vote.
Tenzin Norgay, 25, said it felt good to be a citizen, especially after his
first application for citizenship was rejected.
Norgay said he was arrested when he demonstrated outside the United Nations
building during Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's 2003 visit to New York City. Norgay
said he had to go to court to clear up the arrest, which he labeled a civil
disobedience matter, but didn't seem to hold any ill will about the
experience.
"I couldn't protest in Tibet,"
Norgay said. "I would have been sent to jail for six or seven years,
just for carrying a picture of the Dalai Lama."
A large portion of the country of Tibet
was taken over by the People's Republic of China between 1949 and 1950. In
1959, the head of the government of Tibet,
the 14th Dalai Lama, set up a government in exile at Dharamsala in India.
Norgay said he came to America
as part of the family resettlement program for Tibetans in 1997, which
succeeded the original 1,000-Tibetan refugee resettlement program in 1992.
"It doesn't matter who heads the government in America,"
Norgay said. "Wherever people are oppressed, they look to America.
They might not like President Bush but they like what America
stands for."
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