U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today naturalized 59 members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The ceremony was held aboard a Navy ship docked at the San Diego Naval Station. KPBS Radio's Andrea Hsu has more.
On the deck of the USS Cleveland, Federal Judge Thomas Whelan led the 59 sailors, Marines, and soldiers in the oath of allegiance.
And while they swore to defend the constitution and laws of the U.S., many have already done so for years. Mexican-born Staff Sergeant Juan Antonio Morales has been a Marine for the last 17 years. His uniform bears an impressive collection of ribbons -- symbols of his service around the globe to what is now his home country:
Morales : I was in the gulf in ‘91, I was in Somalia, Iraq, I've been everywhere.
There are some 40,000 non-citizens serving in the U-S Military.
For KPBS, I'm Andrea Hsu.
(Pictured: Marines and soldiers on the deck of the USS Cleveland.)
