There were 11 soldiers, two sailors and one Coast Guardsman standing on the helicopter landing deck on the stern of the USS Port Royal. A part of the Seafair Parade of Ships last week, the ship and its crew were pleased to witness the naturalization of fellow service members.

"As we like to say in the Navy, it's haze gray, and we're underway," said Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Jones. "It's great to be here with you, America's newest citizens."

As the 600-foot guided missile cruiser cut through the waters of Puget Sound's Elliot Bay, the 14 servicemembers from 10 different countries took the oath of allegiance and became naturalized American citizens.

"This ceremony makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up," observed Petty Officer 1st Class Ulises Somarriba. A refugee from Nicaragua, Somarriba became a citizen in 1995 in a courthouse in New Orleans. "I wish I could have done it this way, on a ship of war and not in the courthouse," he said.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, recognizes the sacrifices made by non-citizen members who serve in the United States military.

"We are committed to processing military members' naturalization application in a timely and efficient manner," said Sharon Rummery, a public affairs officer with the USCIS.

The naturalization process for servicemembers is expedited and generally takes only a year.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the USCIS has naturalized over 61,000 military members in ceremonies across the United States and in 20 countries.

"Each new citizen before you today is someone who made a commitment to defend this country, despite being citizens of other lands," added Rummery.

The 11 soldiers are stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Sgt. Karl Blackmore kept his emotions under control, but underneath the quiet exterior ran a spirit of joy.

"It's a family tradition to serve, and I had always wanted to join the Army," said the native of England. "I wanted to do my little part in the war on terrorism."

Assigned to the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, Blackmore has deployed to Iraq where he worked on route clearance patrols.

After taking the oath of allegiance, Blackmore was all smiles.

"This feels good, really good," he said.

The feeling of serving the country first before becoming a citizen was clearly evident in Pvt. Catherine Fabian's voice. Assigned to 4th Squadron, 6th Aviation Regiment, the native of Peru joined because her older sister had served.

"I wanted to follow in her steps. I've decided to make the Army a career, and I am very excited on becoming an American citizen today," said Fabian.

As for Pvt. Mark Yang, his journey to citizenship began when his parents fled his native Laos for freedom in America.

"I am Hmong, and my people were persecuted by the North Vietnamese at the end of the war in Vietnam," he related. "My parents brought me here, and now I will become an American.  Today is a very, very good day."

The other JBLM soldiers who became American citizens are Spc. Alcantara Brown, Pvt. Denis Castillo, Spc. Karen Olarte, Spc. Grace Ferrer, Spc. Carlos Matute, Spc. Eddie Oyakhilome, Spc. Temba Sherpa, and Spc. Cuevas Leal.

"I wish you all fair winds and following seas," said Jones.