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Currie, NC- On Saturday, September 19, 2015, hundreds were on hand as 59 immigrants were sworn in as new American citizens, at Moores Creek National Battlefield, site of the 1st Patriot victory of the American Revolution and where our freedoms were first forged. The Naturalization Ceremony was hosted by Moores Creek National Battlefield, various chapters of the North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution, and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Guest speakers included park Superintendent Ricardo Perez, Director of North Carolina Veterans Affairs Ilario Pantano, Field Office Director of the North Carolina US Citizenship and Immigration Services Jay Weselmann, and Pender County Commissioner Demetrice Keith.
Others involved in making this special day happen for these new citizens included the Heide Trask High School JROTC, who posted the colors for the ceremony; Terah Wilson, who sang the National Anthem; Lisa English, Vice Regent for the Battle of Rockfish Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Ben Sorensen, President of the Cape Fear Revolutionary War Round Table, who served as the emcee for the event; and all of the volunteers who support operations at Moores Creek National Battlefield.
The day will always have special meaning for those who were sworn in. Some new citizens came from as far as Charlotte and Greensboro to take part in the ceremony. Their families could be seen waving flags and wiping tears.
Director Pantano, whose father was an immigrant, passed around a pillow that belonged to his family and represented their immigration story. He encouraged those to begin making their own memories as citizens of this great country.
Another Naturalization Ceremony is currently being planned for April 2016 during National Park Week. To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service, Moores Creek National Battlefield, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Daughters of the American Revolution will partner together to swear in 100 new citizens to honor 100 years of preservation of America’s special places, and to encourage these new citizens to find their national park and become the next generation of park stewards during the second century of stewardship.
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