FORT HOOD, Texas – Seven Soldiers assigned to the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, New York Army National Guard, currently training for deployments at Fort Hood, Texas were recently sworn in as U.S. citizens in San Antonio, Texas by the United States Customs and Immigration Service and honored during a ceremony at north Fort Hood March 24, 2023.

The 642nd is a down trace unit of the 185th Aviation Brigade, Mississippi Army National Guard, which consists of units from 11 states’ Army National Guard from Mississippi, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey and Vermont.

Non-citizens with permanent resident cards may enlist in the U.S. military and apply for citizenship under special provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act. In total, 11 Soldiers from the 642nd ASB were facing readiness concerns as a result of not being naturalized U.S. citizens. The Soldiers ranged in age from 18 to 37, are native to Jamaica, Columbia, India, China, Togo, South Korea and Kenya.

The brigade commander, Col. J. Ashley Mills, became aware of the issue and the Guardsmen who were in the naturalization process with USCIS, some for many years.

“It was concerning that some of our Soldiers were struggling with naturalization while wearing our national colors on their uniforms and preparing to deploy into harm’s way,” said Mills. “The command team strives to maintain a ‘People First’ climate. Our people are our most valuable resource. Anything that jeopardizes the readiness of our personnel will be dealt with promptly.”

Mills directed the brigade Judge Advocate General to establish a partnership with USICS and assist the Soldiers in completing the remaining requirements for their applications.

“The man-hours and teamwork eventually paid dividends, as the Soldiers completed the required interviews, paperwork and background checks necessary to attain American citizenship,” said Maj. Parker Still, the brigade JAG. “We sprang into action under a very short deployment deadline.”

Although four Soldiers are still being processed, and are scheduled to be sworn in before deploying next month, all 11 Soldiers were recognized for their unique sacrifices in the ceremony Friday when Mills administered the U.S. Military Oath of Enlistment to the new citizens, said Still.

“I am very happy to be a citizen and proud to be in the U.S. military,” said Do Young Won, a former drill instructor in the South Korean army. “My unit and battle buddies are like family to me.”

“We often take our citizenship for granted,” said Mills. “We are honored to be part of a life changing event for these Soldiers. It reminds all of us of the significance of the oath we took to serve our great nation. We share in the idea of our founding fathers that all people are created equal with the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”