KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | For some, deployment ceremony includes citizenship oath

For some, deployment ceremony includes citizenship oath

by Ted Land
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Preparing to leave for a tour of duty in Afghanistan had an extra hurdle for 15 soldiers in the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, which marked its deployment with a ceremony Tuesday.

Those 15, along with eight more who weren't deploying, had to take an oath to become United States citizens.

Pfc. Cesar Lara gave something up Tuesday. It wasn't his innocence, peace of mind, or any other kind of metaphor one might think up for a soldier heading off to war: He gave up a country, the Dominican Republic.

Lara waited a long time for the day, and has few reservations.

"When I found out the (citizenship) ceremony was going to take part of the deployment ceremony as well, it was a shock," Lara said.

Lara and the others took the Oath of Allegience to the United States -- on the same day they formally deployed to fight one of the country's wars.

"We embrace you as our fellow Americans and we welcome your willingness to defend your new country," Gov. Sarah Palin said at the ceremony.

They're among 3,500 soldiers about to leave for a 12-month tour in eastern Afghanistan. This is the same unit that returned from 14 months in Iraq in 2007.

Since then they've been in "reset" mode, bringing in new manpower, upgrading equipment and conducting extensive training.

"They're trained individually, they're trained collectively and they're equipped better than any soldier on any battlefield that's ever been fielded in history," said Maj. Stephen Layfield.

Following the ceremony, hordes waited for a photo Palin.

"It was inspiring," said Eira Lara, Pfc. Lara's wife. "I stood up to try to take a picture and I got caught up in the moment. It was kind of like, this is what he's working for."

Most of the soldiers who became citizens Tuesday have actually lived in the U.S. for years, and some of them will still maintain dual citizenship in their home countries.

Contact Ted Land at tland@ktuu.com