VOA常速英语2008年-Immigrant Troops Become US Citizens

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
17 April 2008

The five-sided courtyard in the center of the Pentagon hosts a variety of special events.  And there was a particularly unusual one there on a glorious spring day this week.  VOA's Al Pessin reports.

A total of 22 mostly young, mostly low-ranking soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines sat shyly in two rows of chairs, wearing their dress uniforms, surrounded by well-wishers and facing a stage lined with American flags.

ANNOUNCER:  "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and remain standing² for the entrance of the official party."

The deputy secretary of defense³, a two-star general, and two officials from the U.S. Immigration Service took the stage.  The 22 service members in the front rows were among the more than 30,000 non-citizens serving in the U.S. armed forces.  And on that day they were becoming American citizens.  Among them was Olu-fola-hanmi Ayo'ola Omotayo Coker, a U.S. Navy seaman⁴ from Nigeria.

"If you told me this five years ago, I'd be laughing at you, you know," he said.

Seaman Coker came to the United States five years ago through the visa lottery⁵ system, at the age of 30.  He says his family and friends could not believe it when he joined the Navy two years later, in search of adventure.

"When I first signed up, they were looking at me crazy, but I had to let them know the opportunity the Navy's giving me," he recalled.  "And now they see what the Navy is doing for me, and they're proud of me now."

Seaman Coker is a religious program assistant, helping⁶ chaplains organize services and other events in all religions.

Sitting nearby is an administrative⁷ clerk with a dream, Teresia Kamau, 22, from Kenya, a corporal in the United States Marine¹ Corps⁸.

"People don't really know you're not a citizen unless you tell them you're not a citizen, but it is different because it does come with boundaries," she said.  "You can't do everything an American citizen can do."

Among the things Corporal Kamau could do was be assigned to a seven-month deployment⁹ in Iraq in 2006, which she calls "a really great experience."  One of the things non-citizens cannot do is become officers, and that is the next thing Corporal Kamau wants to do.

Before long, it's time to get down to the business of the ceremony.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES:  "Would you please raise your right hands and repeat after me.  I hereby declare on oath, that I absolutely and entirely¹⁰ renounce¹¹ and abjure¹² all allegiance and fidelity¹³..."

The applicants¹⁴ are standing, with their right hands raised, focused on the oath, while the spectators around them are beaming.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES:  "...that I will support and defend the constitution and laws of the United States of America..."

They clutch small American flags, as the buttons on their uniforms sparkle in the sunshine.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES:  "...and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion¹⁵.  So help me God.  Congratulations, you are America's newest citizens."

Major General James Graves welcomes the new citizen service members, who came from 15 countries, mainly in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

"We are a greater country," he said.  "We are a stronger country.  We are a better country today because you have joined us this day as Americans."

Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England points out that the honorees volunteered to do something very difficult, that they did not have to do.

"Long before this day, you had volunteered to serve your nation of choice in a most demanding occupation, and during one of the most demanding periods in the nation's recent history," he said. "Will the newly naturalized candidates please rise and come forward to receive your certificate when your name is called.   Corporal Jose De Las Bada Wright.  Petty Officer Third Class Tamisha Houselan."

The new citizens move forward, one by one, to get their citizenship¹⁶ certificates and a handshake and photo with the senior officials.

Last in line is Seaman Coker.

When it's over, family, friends and strangers who happened to be passing through the courtyard gather around to congratulate the new citizens.  Seaman Coker says he feels different than he felt just a few minutes earlier.

"I feel different again now that it's finally here, you know," he explained.  "It's just like they told you you got a check, and now here is the check, you know, you've got it in your hand.  That's how I feel now."

Corporal Kamau has difficulty finding words to describe her feelings.

KAMAU: "It's like more Ahhh!  It's…  [I'm] still excited.  Still excited. 
PESSIN: "Do you feel that something important changed a few minutes ago?"
KAMAU:  "Actually, a lot has changed.  I can put in my officer package tomorrow, so we'll see.  We'll see."
PESSIN: "You've got it ready to go tomorrow?"
KAMAU:  "Yes, I do.  Yes, I do.  That's a funny thing.  I do, so, yeah."

General Graves points out that as legal immigrants, these people were able to join the U.S. military, but now, he says, they can do something more.

"When they become citizens they get to be part of the process of determining what the policy is through the privilege that they have at the voting booth," he said.

The Pentagon says 37,000 service members have taken advantage of a program instituted by President Bush after the September 11th attacks to enable non-citizens in the U.S. military to become citizens through a fast-track process.  Another 22 were added to that number at the Pentagon this week.  Just a few days earlier 159 others participated in a similar ceremony while deployed¹⁷ in Baghdad.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 seaman   

n.海员，水手，水兵

参考例句：

• That young man is a experienced seaman.那个年轻人是一个经验丰富的水手。
• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。

5 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

8 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

12 abjure   

v.发誓放弃

参考例句：

• The conqueror tried to make the natives abjure their religion.征服者试著让当地人宣誓放弃他们的宗教。
• Some of the Roman Emperors tried to make Christians abjure their religion.有些罗马皇帝试著使基督教徒宣誓放弃他们的宗教。

13 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

14 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

15 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

16 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

17 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。