Sailors become U.S. citizens in unique event

BREMERTON — Ben Silvera says he couldn't help but look over his shoulder from time to time.

When he was 6, he had been brought to the U.S. from his native Panama by his father, who was in the U.S. Army. Silvera proudly joined the Navy when he was 20 and in many ways felt like a citizen of his adopted country.

But he knew that he wasn't. He couldn't vote, for one thing. And his lack of citizenship could bar him from some of the Navy's more security-sensitive duties had he sought them. Occasionally, he feared that something would happen and he would be forced to return to Panama.

But on Wednesday, Silvera and nine other foreign-born sailors from five different countries took the oath of allegiance aboard the historic destroyer USS Turner Joy, becoming citizens of the nation they all serve as active-duty military. It was the first time a naturalization ceremony was held on the retired Vietnam-era warship that's now a floating museum overseen by the Bremerton Historic Ships Association.

"Now I can tell someone I'm a U.S. citizen and they can't tell me no," said Silvera, 22, a parachute rigger stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. "I don't have to worry they will kick me out and send me back to Panama. This is a great day."

For Chang Li, a 32-year-old corpsman originally from China, his new status as a U.S. citizen means being able to vote for president.

"It is a big deal, yes," he said.

Gabe Feely, 19, a former citizen of both Canada and Brazil, took the oath to make the most of what he hopes will be a Navy career. In order to serve aboard submarines, as Feely hopes to do someday, he has to have a level of security clearance available only to U.S. citizens, Navy officials said.

"We're very proud of him for choosing this and for following his heart," said his mother, Marcia Feely, of Bellingham. "This is something he has wanted since he was a little child."

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, thousands of non-U.S. citizens are serving in the military. Over the past decade, more than 62,000 foreign-born members of the military from at least 20 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, have become U.S. citizens in similar ceremonies across the country.

The process, even for active-duty military, used to be long and daunting, according to Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Eichenmuller, a Navy judge advocate general stationed in Bremerton.

Since then, she said, the military and immigration officials have worked to make the procedure simpler and more streamlined.

In the past, for example, citizenship paperwork would have to be resubmitted every time a sailor was reassigned to a new duty station and the oath had to be taken on U.S. soil. Now, it can be taken on a ship, she said.

"It gives you heart," she said. "Now, we have all these happy endings."

Immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months, under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration. The military also waives naturalization fees, which are at least $675.

To enlist, temporary immigrants have to prove that they have lived in the U.S. for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They also have to pass an English test.

If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.

Capt. Robert Johnson, a judge advocate general who spoke at Wednesday's naturalization ceremony, said few paths to citizenship are quicker — or more deserving.

"You put on a uniform and swore to defend our Constitution," Johnson said. "You have done, and will continue to do, what many citizens of our country will never do. You have placed your trust in this country and now you will be responsible for helping to chart its course."

"This is a great country," said Judith Medilo, 31, a religious program specialist from the Philippines who became a citizen on Wednesday. "There are a lot of great things the U.S. can do for the world and I'd like to be part of that."

Aaron Ace Vital, 22, who was born in the Philippines and is now stationed on the USS Ingraham at Naval Station Everett, said after the ceremony, "I do feel different. I feel proud of myself and so happy. All I wanted was an opportunity to make a better life."

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Information from The New York Times is included in this report.