Egyptian Becomes American at Iraqi Palace

BAGHDAD – Some quick work by unit leaders helped an Egyptian in the U.S. Army become an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony at Al Faw Palace, Feb. 15. The speed of the process surprised not only Beskales, but members of his unit as well.

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Staff Sgt. Larry Carson, a psychological ops NCO assigned to Co. A, was one of the personnel working on Beskales's packet. "We were told his packet would take 3 months to get from the U.S. to Rome for processing," said Carson. Despite a frenzied last week for Carson, he said it was still worth it to help Beskales obtain his citizenship. "This ceremony was for him and I was grateful to be able to share it with him," said Carson. "It was a very rewarding experience." The tradition of non-citizens dedicating themselves to faithfully serve in the U.S. military is as old as U.S. history itself. "Over 400,000 immigrants served in the Union Army during the Civil War," said Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby, dep. comm. gen. for ops, USF-I, during the ceremony. "Foreign-born Soldiers have served honorably throughout our history. You Soldiers have demonstrated the same dedication and allegiance to our great nation." Beskales' journey began when he won a lottery allowing people from other countries the opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. It was his dream to become an American citizen since he was very young, he said. Beskales joined the U.S. Army in June, and began serving his new country even before he was granted citizenship. He deployed in January to serve in Iraq, still not counted among official U.S. citizens, but still serving. Eight months later, Beskales fulfilled his dream, as he raised his right hand to swear allegiance to the U.S. "Becoming a citizen is 1 of the 2 biggest moments in my life," he said; the first being when he raised his right hand to swear allegiance to the U.S. Army.

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