Homestead welcomes new U.S. citizens Published April 24, 2013 By Senior Airman Nicholas Caceres 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. -- Eight people from seven countries took the oath of allegiance and were transformed into U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony here April 23. The group of new U.S. citizens also consisted of current members of the U.S. armed forces as well as veterans. Presiding over the ceremony, Col. Elwin A. Rozyskie, 482nd Mission Support Group commander, welcomed the newly minted citizens, their family members, and friends. Rozyskie expressed the great honor it is for Homestead ARB to host the naturalization ceremony. "The process of citizenship is a big step; you'll never be the same again," he said. "You are no longer subjects. You are now citizens; you are now Americans." Paul Buono, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami and Caribbean District Nine deputy field office director, also offered remarks and administered the oath of allegiance. Before the ceremony was finished the new citizens representing seven countries watched a special congratulatory video from President Obama and sang together Lee Greenwood's, "God Bless the USA". The USCIS has naturalized more than 74,000 members of the military, with more than 9,000 of those servicemembers becoming citizens during USCIS naturalization ceremonies, according to recent statistics from the USCIS website. According to Victor Toledo, a member of the Army Reserve, the feeling of being an official U.S. citizen is amazing. "It feels great to serve this country," he said. "I don't even have words to describe how grateful I am for this country and how it has helped me and everything it has given me." While the new U.S. citizens have finally become official, they say the country has embraced them as citizens for quite some time. "I've always felt I had a bond to citizenship even though I was not officially a citizen," said Adrian White, an Army veteran. "Today, the process comes full circle. It's an honor to finally accomplish it." USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)