Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

'This is my country now'

The U.S. welcomes 32 new citizens from 15 countries, while fifth-graders from Falmouth learn about the rigorous process of becoming an American.

By Kelley Bouchard kbouchard@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

FALMOUTH - Abdulahi Abdi stood out among 32 immigrants who swore the Oath of Allegiance during a citizenship ceremony Thursday morning at Falmouth Middle School.

click image to enlarge

Abdulahi Abdi holds his hand high while being sworn in as a new U.S. citizen on Thursday in Falmouth.

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

click image to enlarge

Myra Turmenne, left, feeds applesauce to her 10-month-old daughter Ruth, who is being held by her grandmother, Murielle Turmenne, before the start of a naturalization ceremony at Falmouth Middle School on Thursday. Myra, who is from the Philippines and married to Murielle’s son David, was sworn in as a new citizen at the ceremony.

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

The Oath of Allegiance

Immigrants who want to become U.S. citizens must recite the following:

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

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;

That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law;

And that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

So help me God.

With his right hand raised high above his head, a red-white-and-blue star on his left lapel, Abdi promised to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

It was an emotional moment for the 35-year-old Portland resident, who works at Unum and has a wife and seven children. He came to the United States in 2005, after fleeing Somalia and living in Kenya as a refugee.

"This is my country now," Abdi said earnestly.

The immigrants who became naturalized citizens on Thursday came from 15 countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Germany, Haiti, Jamaica, Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

The ceremony was sponsored by the middle school's eight fifth-grade classes, which have been studying immigration's impact on the United States in depth, said teacher Katie Coppens. The students recently took the citizenship test to learn something about the modern immigrant experience.

"What we've been studying played out here today," said Emily McConnell, one of 160 fifth-graders who attended the ceremony. "It was interesting to see what people do. We took the citizenship test in class and we realized how hard it is to become a citizen."

Sixteen students from the Chebeague Island School also attended the ceremony because they have been studying immigration this year, too. In classes from kindergarten through fifth grade, the students have visited Museum L-A in Lewiston, kept immigration journals and learned about their own immigrant ancestry, said teacher Kristin Westra.

In the coming weeks, they will meet an island resident who was born in Jordan and lived in Egypt, learn about various ethnic foods and make quilt squares representing their ethnic backgrounds, said teacher Tammy Hoidal. The squares will be stitched into a quilt that will be displayed at the Chebeague Island Historical Society.

The middle school chorus sang crystalline renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful." Maria Testa, a local author who has written extensively about immigration, was the featured speaker at the ceremony.

"You have honored all of us by choosing to become Americans," Testa said.

Myra Turmenne, 27, became a citizen on Thursday. Her family reflects the U.S. immigration experience through three generations.

Turmenne, a native of the Philippines, came to Maine in 2007 to marry David Turmenne, 42, an electrician who lives in Sabattus. The couple met on a website for Christian singles. Now, they have two children, 2-year-old Isaac and 10-month-old Ruth.

With them at the ceremony was Turmenne's mother, Murielle Turmenne of Lewiston. Her parents were French-Canadian immigrants.

"That's the nature of America," David Turmenne said. "It's a blessing for Myra to become a citizen."

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com