{"id":7519,"date":"2023-04-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=7519"},"modified":"2023-04-28T06:49:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T06:49:32","slug":"bmt-trainees-become-us-citizens-under-new-streamlined-naturalization-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=7519","title":{"rendered":"BMT trainees become US citizens under new streamlined naturalization process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) — \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fourteen trainees in <\/strong><\/span>b<\/span>asic <\/span>m<\/span>ilitary <\/span>t<\/span>raining<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong> at <\/span>Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong> raised their right hands and are now the first to complete the new streamlined naturalization process making them U.S. citizens and allowing them to graduate as American Airmen.<\/span>\u00a0
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Over the course of their <\/span>seven and a half weeks of training in BMT, the trainees accomplished the necessary paperwork and took their citizenship test and\u00a0o<\/span>ath of <\/span>a<\/span>llegiance<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong>. The first three accomplished their process as early as April 11, and the remaining trainees by April 25. All were formally recognized as U.S. citizens at the<\/span> Airman\u2019s Coin and Retreat Ceremony, April 26.\u00a0
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Airman 1st Class Natalia <\/span>Laziuk, 31, from Russia, was one of the first three Airmen to take the oath and become a citizen. Laziuk said she had been dreaming of becoming a citizen since she was 11 years old.\u00a0
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\u201cI will always be grateful for every opportunity I have here in the best country of the world,\u201d she added.<\/span>\u00a0
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These trainees\u2019 citizenship ceremonies were much like any other \u2013 with only one difference: the person administering the oath was on a computer monitor, miles away.<\/span>\u00a0
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The online process is part of the <\/span>U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong>‘ <\/span>Naturalization at Basic Training Initiative<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong> that allows trainees the opportunity to become citizens before they graduate. It\u2019s just one of several initiatives the Air Force is taking to remove barriers to service amid the current <\/strong><\/span>challenging<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong> <\/strong>recruiting environment.<\/span>\u00a0
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\u201cTheir desire to become citizens exemplifies their commitment and dedication to the United States,\u201d said <\/strong><\/span>Col. John P. O\u2019Dell<\/span><\/span>, <\/span>37th Training Wing<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong> <\/strong>vice commander. \u201cWhen we began the partnership with USCIS, we asked all trainees who would be interested in starting their application, and 111 raised their hands. These trainees volunteered to serve a country they aren\u2019t yet citizens of, and now we get to formally recognize them upon their graduation as American Airmen.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0
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The 37th <\/span>TW partnered with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in March to reimplement the program after policy changes in 2017 changed processing timelines that affected a trainee\u2019s ability to naturalize prior to graduation.\u00a0
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William Fischer, 737 TRG training director, emphasized the naturalization process begins with recruiters \u2013 long before trainees step foot in basic training.<\/span>\u00a0
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\u201cRecruiters can prepare the trainees before they arrive here so that trainees can bring all their necessary documents with them to BMT,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cThis is important to help ensure participants can earn their citizenship before they graduate.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0
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Nearly the entire program is accessible online, making it more convenient for trainees to complete the application. Upon arrival at BMT, recruits can scan a QR code, immediately create their USICS account, and start their application. They also have a study guide at their fingertips \u2013 a 100-question sample test \u2013 loaded onto their tablets to help them prepare for the final test, which they must complete, along with a virtual interview, before they can earn their U.S. citizenship.<\/span>\u00a0
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The online program also serves as an advantage to those who don\u2019t complete the naturalization process at BMT, as they can continue at their follow-on technical training or first operational assignment.<\/span>\u00a0
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Airman Miguel Angelo Flores decided to join the A<\/span>ir Force to do something positive with his life. Flores found the Air Force to be a perfect fit for him.\u00a0
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\u201cI am dedicating myself to my country,\u201d said Flores, 22, from the Philippines.<\/span>\u00a0
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The <\/span>14 Airmen and their country of origin are:\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/div>\n

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Eva Nurten <\/span>Akman, Turkey\u00a0
Jonathan <\/span>Andobolo Orozco, Mexico\u00a0
D\u2019Elbrah<\/span> Assamoi, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire\u00a0
Jordan Flash, Jamaica<\/span>\u00a0
Miguel Angelo Flores, Philippines<\/span>\u00a0
Lionel <\/span>Fogang, Cameroon\u00a0
Joshua <\/span>Fancisco, Philippines\u00a0
Ivine<\/span> Kiburi, Kenya\u00a0
Natalia <\/span>Laziuk, Russia\u00a0
Ross <\/span>Mudie, South Africa\u00a0
Christian Munoz-Medina, El Salvador<\/span>\u00a0
Xitlaine<\/span> Roache, Jamaica\u00a0
Roel Watson, Jamaica<\/span>\u00a0
Teon<\/span> Whyte, Jamaica\u00a0
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To learn more about the <\/span>naturalization process at BMT, visit here<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) — \u00a0 Fourteen trainees in basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland raised their right hands and are now the first to complete the new streamlined naturalization process making them U.S. citizens and allowing them to graduate as American Airmen.\u00a0 Over the course of their seven and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7519"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7522,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions\/7522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}