Their stories vary greatly, but five proud service members and one military spouse reached a major milestone in their lives when sworn in as America’s newest citizens at a U.S. Naturalization Ceremony at the Club at McChord Field Nov. 9.

This was the ninth annual U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on the installation, timed to welcome Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s new citizens and coordinate with Veterans Day.

The six new Americans, previously citizens of: Bolivia, China and the Philippines, were: Petty Officer 2nd Class Gus Calero, Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton; Kathleen Flores, military spouse; Spc. Xiaotian Wang; Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Visaya; Spc. Buyu Chen; and Pfc. Bin Fan.

Each took a different route and time to complete the course in their path to citizenship.

“I’m so proud; I just wish my husband could have been here,” Flores said, as she held her 1-year-old son, Alex after the ceremony.

Flores’ husband, Spc. Jonathan Prang, 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, is currently deployed overseas. The couple married in 2012.

Flores moved to the U.S. 17 years ago with her mom and siblings from Pangasinan, Philippines, Flores said. She grew up with her grandparents in Maryland, as an undocumented, illegal alien.

Flores is now 26 years old and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland. She said she was thrilled to complete the interviews and tests to become a U.S. citizen.

She also was honored to pose for a photo on her cell phone after the ceremony with Col. Daniel S. Morgan, JBLM commander, who spoke at the event.

“It’s been a long journey, but here I am,” Flores said as she waved a small American flag in one hand and held Alex in the other.

Twenty-seven-year-old Fan, a former citizen of the Republic of China, entered the Army in San Diego before applying for his U.S. citizenship nine months ago.

“It’s very exciting, and I’m very proud,” Fan said.

During the ceremony, the six new citizens and a few family members held their hands over their hearts as a service member sang the national anthem. They also watched a few videos — among them an immigration history titled, “Faces of America,” and a welcome video from President Barack Obama.

The ensemble stood as Micah R. Brown, Seattle’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acting field office director, administered the oath of allegiance:

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen,” Brown read, as the men and woman repeated after each pause in wording.

Renouncing the land of his birth was what took 52-year-old Calero of Everett so long to complete his journey to citizenship. Calero, who now serves in the Navy, came to Florida as a Bolivian international student. It took him 15 years to become a citizen, he said.

“I procrastinated a long time,” he said, adding that his family owns land in Bolivia and he was told by family that if he became an American citizen, he would have to renounce his heritage and share of the farm. “I finally said, ‘This is enough’ and went for it.”

His wife, Kristine, attended the ceremony with him and said she was extremely proud of her husband’s persistence and accomplishment. The couple met through friends and married eight years ago.

They have a blended family with a combined seven children in the home.

Kristine, a Native American who has lived in the state of Washington for nearly 20 years, said she enjoyed studying with her husband as he met his goals along his path to citizenship.

“I’m very proud to have taken this journey with my husband,” she said, adding, “I’m very proud of him.”