And along with their travels they brought out this flag that they had carried from the Soviet Union as a symbol of wanting to have better relations with our country and also as a remembrance of the special time that we had had together during my visit to the Soviet Union. I think of an experience that I try to take advantage of at least twice a year that I think every American should have the opportunity to participate in. That is a naturalization ceremony. Before coming to Congress. I was the chairman of my county council in the county that I represented of 600.000 people. It has a broad diversity of socioeconomic background. As chairman of the county council. we developed a tradition of the naturalization ceremony that would really be fitting for those people who are renouncing their allegiance to the country of their birth and taking up allegiance to America. If you ever want to get a feel for what America is all about and what the flag means. not Just to us but to foreigners who want to become Americans. attend a local naturalization ceremony. I have spoken at probably 8 or 10 of them in my own area. and I can relate to you that there is no more moving experience than to sit in a room with 120 or 150 individuals from all the nations of the world. from Great Britain. from South America and Central America. from the Far East. from Canada. and to listen to these very personal stories of what it means to be able to give up the allegiance to the country where they were born and to be able to become an American citizen. 0J 0730 The one symbol that we use repeatedly in that ceremony in that process is the American flag. On numerous occasions. as the flag is presented to those people who in fact are becoming American citizens. there are tears rolling down their eyes because of what it means to them to be able to say that they are now an American citizen and they will proudly uphold and defend not just our Constitution but will proudly take care of and honor that flag which represents in a symbolic way all that our country stands for.
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naturalization