By Air Force Senior Airman Benjamin
Stratton
92nd Air Refueling Wing
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. – A contracting specialist from the 92nd
Contracting Squadron here fulfilled his dream March 27 when a Spokane, Wash.,
judge swore him in as a U.S. citizen.
"The most important thing about
citizenship for me is that I can finally get a secret clearance to better serve
the Air Force and my country," said Air Force Airman 1st Class Abraham
Garduza, who is responsible for Air Force contracts totaling more than $1
million.
"I always wanted to do something
important with my life," added the 23-year-old Matamoros, Mexico native.
"I wanted to do something I could be proud of doing while continuing my
education."
Garduza was one of more than 32,000
people serving in the military as a legal resident in hopes of attaining
citizenship. While most airmen focus on on-the-job training and career
development courses, airmen like Garduza also study U.S. history, government
and language to pass their citizenship examination -- material most Americans
haven't touched since grade school.
"Since getting my citizenship, I
have felt so incredibly humbled," said the volunteer soccer coach, who is
proud to own a Mexican national soccer team jersey his girlfriend gave him.
"I thoroughly enjoy what I do and the people I work with."
Passing a 100-question-plus examination
and successfully completing an interview was only part of the process. Service
members like Garduza also must be able to read, write and speak basic English,
must be of good moral character and must have continuously lived in the United
States for at least five years.
"Now I feel like I belong,"
Garduza said. "Not only does getting my citizenship allow me to better
serve America, but it also allows me to vote -- a right I now have under the
Constitution as a U.S. citizen."
It would have been much harder for
Garduza to become a citizen had it not been for the generosity of another
person who helped him attain his residency, he said.
"It was tough," said Garduza,
who has maintained a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend. "I
was a poor college student when I first decided to start the process toward
citizenship."
Working toward his bachelors of arts
degree in psychology from the University of Texas in Austin, Garduza was
befriended by a generous law professor, Ramiro Canales, who fronted the $1,000
cost of Garduza's residency application.
"To have someone so generous at
that stage of my life meant the world," he said.
However, Canales wasn't the only
influential player in Garduza's development. His mother, Beatriz Martinez, also
was pivotal in his ability to seek a higher education and eventually serve in
the Air Force.
"My mom has been really
helpful," he said. "Her guidance and support -- I just don't know where
I'd be without her."
In Mexico, families must pay tuition for
their children to attend high school. Garduza and his family moved from Mexico
to the United States when he was 11 years old, he said, because his parents
wanted to ensure he had access to better education opportunities than he did in
Mexico.
"My parents weren't the
wealthiest," he said, “but still wanted to ensure my siblings and I had a
chance to excel in our lives."
Garduza said he also wants the same
education opportunities for his children when he starts a family.
"I definitely believe that as human
beings we want the best for our kids' futures," he said. "So I'll do
whatever I can to also facilitate a powerful educational future for my
kin."
The new U.S. citizen said he has future
goals.
"I'd like to become an officer in
the future, too," Garduza said. "I think it's important for me to see
and understand what life is like on the enlisted side."
Garduza needed his citizenship to become
an officer -- something he wasn't able to do even though he joined with a
bachelor's degree.
"They're all stepping stones to
becoming the best man I can be," he said. "I've always wanted to do
something I love and be proud of who I am along the way."
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