Proud to be an American Airman: McGuire member becomes U.S. citizen

Published Feb. 10, 2009
By Senior Airman Bekah Phy
305th Air Mobility Wing public affairs

McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- "I hereby declare ... that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law ... so help me God."

These words were spoken by Senior Airman Darren Webster during his Oath of Citizenship ceremony Feb. 9 in Mount Laurel, N.J. The 305th Maintenance Operations Squadron knowledge operations manager worked for more than 10 years to say those words.

"It feels great to know I am now a U.S. citizen who can vote, travel with a U.S. passport and be able to obtain a true security clearance to better perform my duties as an Airman," he said.

Originally from Saint Anne, Jamaica, Airman Webster has been in the U.S. for 13 years. He joined the Air Force a little more than two years ago and worked especially hard to get his citizenship to be able to re-enlist.

"I have been working to get my citizenship for about 10 years. I had to learn a lot about civics and government in order to obtain my citizenship since most of the test questions are about U.S. history," the 21-year-old said.

"My first commander here, Col. (ret.) Randy Harvey, former 305th Maintenance Group commander, really influenced me to get my citizenship as soon as possible," Airman Webster said. "He was always saying he saw a leader in me and the faster I got my citizenship out of the way, the faster I could be a leader in the future of the Air Force. Becoming a citizen and reenlisting are the first steps toward that."

"This was a tremendous day for Airman Webster. He was serving his country before his country even recognized him as a citizen. He knew in his heart this was the nation he loved. It was a privilege being here," said Col. Balan Ayyar, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander.

His family, who all reside here except for his dad who is still in Jamaica, also supported him in his journey to join the Air Force and become a U.S. citizen.

"My family and I have been working toward my citizenship since I came to the U.S. The process on the civilian side is a lot more time consuming than it is in the military," he said. "Now that I am a citizen, my goal is to become an officer and make the Air Force a career."