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From Nationals to Citizens, soldiers naturalized

Some of the 47 locally based soldiers, who are all U.S. nationals born in American Samoa, took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens during a ceremony held yesterday at the Veterans Memorial Hall in the Tafuna Industrial Park.

 

The oath was administered by David G. Gulick, director of District 26 of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which coordinated the ceremony with the U.S. Army Reserve Theater Support Group-Pacific (USAR TSG-Pacific).

 

This is the second naturalization ceremony held in American Samoa for locally based soldiers with the first held in 2010 where 42 Toa o Samoa were sworn in as U.S. citizens.

 

Yesterday’s ceremony included guest speakers Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga and  Col. Twanda E. Young, Commander, Theater Support Group, Pacific.  There was also a video taped message from U.S. President Barack Obama, who congratulated the new U.S. citizens.

 

The event, which was open to the public, also included family members of the soldiers, who are now U.S. citizens.  See Samoan story of the ceremony in the front page of today’s edition.