Airman becomes U.S. citizen at BEAR Base

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sondra Escutia
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' El Paso Field Office was invited here Aug. 7 to grant citizenship to a member of Team Holloman in a naturalization ceremony.

Airman 1st Class Indira Jimenez of the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group became a U.S. citizen in front of her coworkers and peers at Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) Base.

"It's a great day for us and we appreciate being invited to come up here," said James Spurling, supervisor of the El Paso Field Office, Department of Homeland Security. "The El Paso Field Office takes great pride in taking care of any servicemember. We will go anywhere that the servicemember wants to naturalize."

Not only was it a special event for the Field Office, but for Airman Jimenez, who has opened up many doors for her future.

"There are a lot of benefits when you're an American citizen, not only in the military, but in the civilian world as well," she said. "The benefits that come from being a citizen are enormous."

Without American citizenship, servicemembers cannot have a secret clearance, be promoted above E-6 or attend certain schools, said Mr. Spurling.

Servicemembers from all branches are taking advantage of the opportunity to gain U.S. citizenship, which can take as much as two years to achieve.

"We have naturalized over 4,000 servicemembers since the war on terror started," said Mr. Spurling. "We average about 20 to 25 Airmen from Holloman per year."

For Airman Jimenez, it was an emotional ceremony in front of her peers that clearly displayed her pride in the country she serves.

"It meant a lot to me," she said. "These are my peers, the people I see on a daily basis and people I work with on a daily basis. It really means a lot for me to let them know that I'm just as proud as they are to be here in the United States Air Force and to work with them."

Airman Jimenez was born in Bogata, Columbia, and came to the states when she was 15 as "a sweet 15 birthday gift." Right after she got her green card, she joined the U.S. military and the next step was to gain her citizenship, she said.

After having gone through the naturalization process, Airman Jimenez said the opportunity is too easy to pass up.

"I'm very proud to be a United States citizen," said Airmen Jimenez. "I want to encourage everybody that hasn't gotten their citizenship to go do it."