Thread: Citizens by choice

http://www2.standard.net/standard/54959/

Citizens by choice

Sunday, July 3, 2005

By Becky Cairns
Standard-Examiner staff

For two years, Mykhaylo Bulyk -- Ukrainian citizen -- has worn the uniform of the United States Air Force.

Now, for the first time, he puts on that uniform as an American.

Bulyk, an airman stationed at Hill Air Force Base, is one of Utah's newest naturalized citizens.

With right hand raised, Bulyk and fellow airman Jessica Broome, of Germany, took the oath of citizenship two Fridays ago with 191 other immigrants from more than 50 countries.

It was a day of hugs and photographs, flag waving and patriotic songs at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

Sharing the event with so many who had struggled for citizenship -- some coming to America as refugees -- impressed Bulyk.

"I could totally feel what they were feeling -- it was incredible," said the 24-year-old airman who came to the United States six years ago.

Broome, who grew up in Hambach, Germany, clutched her proof-of-citizenship certificate, all filled out except the blank line awaiting her signature.

'It's getting framed," said her Texas-born husband Jonathan Broome, who helped his 23-year-old wife study for the citizenship test.

Military personnel like Broome and Bulyk are among more than 3,000 persons becoming naturalized citizens in Utah each year.

Folks are often surprised to learn that members of the U.S. military might not be American citizens, said Sharon Rummery, a spokeswoman for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in San Francisco.

Yet any lawful permanent resident of the United States is eligible to join the armed forces, she said. Currently, 40,000 military personnel are eligible to apply for naturalization.

After 9/11, a presidential order allowed active-duty military personnel to file for citizenship immediately rather than completing the usual one year of service, Rummery said. Since then, more than 16,000 service members have been naturalized -- and since last October, citizenship fees have been waived for military members.

It's moving to think that a non-American would be willing to serve in this nation's military, Rummery said.

"Many of our young people who are born here don't want to fight for our country," she said.

A second birthday

Every new immigrant has a story and Bulyk's began Oct. 26, 1998 -- the day he first set foot on American soil.

The date is easily remembered, "a second birthday type thing," says the airman, whose mother entered the United States through the annual diversity lottery. The drawing grants visas to persons from countries with low immigration rates to America and allows them to live and work here permanently.

Bulyk was 17 years old, just out of high school in his native Ukraine, when his family moved to Chicago.

After four years of trying all sorts of jobs, from cook to cab driver, he landed in the Air Force.

"I needed stability," he says. "I figured the military was going to be able to give it to me."

Now that he is a U.S. citizen, the enlisted man can apply to become an Air Force officer (something he could not do as a noncitizen) and obtain full-time schooling.

That will help this HAFB plumber -- already proficient in four languages -- move toward his dream of becoming a translator. He and his wife, Mariu, of Peru, also look forward to traveling the world.

After Sept. 11, Bulyk thought joining the Air Force was not only a way to improve his own life but also to "give back" to a country that has given him new opportunities.

Home in a new land

Jessica Broome, who has lived in the United States since 1992, applied to become a citizen last November.

"I've lived here for so long already and I want to live here the rest of my life," says the native of Werneck, Germany.

Broome was 11 years old when her mother married an American and moved the family to Louisiana. She joined the Air Force two years ago and is a computer information manager.

Now that she's attained citizenship, Broome says she and her husband -- also an airman -- can both apply to be sent to bases outside the United States.

Citizenship also makes her eligible for deployment, she says, adding, "The bad comes with the good."

Noncitizen members of the Air Force cannot be assigned to overseas stations or deployed to war zones, says Elton Price, superintendent of public affairs for the 75th Air Base Wing at HAFB. Those who wish to re-enlist must also obtain citizenship, he adds.

Jonathan helped his wife study American history and government for the oral exam. Some questions were easy (What are the colors of the flag?), but others were more challenging, like "Who becomes president if the president and vice president die?"

"Most (Americans) wouldn't know the stuff on there," he says.

Claiming the vote

Broome looks forward to voting in her first election.

Until now, "I can't decide who will be the ruler of the country I'm living in," she says. "I want to be able to be part of that."

Bulyk, too, is eager to vote, explaining that people with common beliefs can fight for things together.

"That's the freedom of the United States ... you have the ability to change things," he says.

As they took the oath of citizenship, Broome and Bulyk were required to renounce allegicance to their home countries.

That's sad, Broome says: "Germany -- it's my home, it's my growing up, it's my past, it's my family."

But, "This is my new home," she says, and, "My heritage will still be the same."

Bulyk hopes that someday, as his formerly communist country moves toward westernization, it might offer dual citizenship so he could belong to both nations.

The United States doesn't offer dual citizenship, Rummery adds, but some countries do recognize citizenship in other lands.

Looking ahead

As new citizens, Bulyk and Broome plan to help their mothers and other family members complete the process as well.

Although his family couldn't attend his naturalization, Bulyk says, "Hopefully I'll be able to witness theirs."

And now he has another "birthday type" of date to remember -- June 24, 2005.

REQUIREMENTS

To apply for naturalization, a person must:

Be 18 years old (waivers or exceptions are available)

Be a permanent legal resident of the U.S.

Have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least five years

Demonstrate good moral character

Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. government and history

Take an oath of allegiance

Source: www.uscis.gov




Could you pass the U.S. citizenship test? Here are some sample questions:
1. What do the stars on the flag mean?

a. One for each president

b. One for each article of the Constitution

c. They are not symbolic of anything

d. One for each state in the Union

2. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?

a. Christopher Columbus

b. George Washington

c. The American Indians (Native Americans)

d. Southern plantation owners

3. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution does not address or guarantee voting rights?

a. 19th Amendment

b. 24th Amendment

c. 15th Amendment

d. 7th Amendment

4. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?

a. Iraq, Libya and Turkey

b. Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union

c. Germany, Italy and Japan

d. Germany, Italy and France

5. Who becomes the president of the United States if the president and vice president should die?

a. The Speaker of the House of Representatives

b. The Senate Majority Leader

c. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

d. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Answers: 1. d, 2. c, 3. d, 4. c, 5. a

Good Post Brian 503a!!

Good to know!!