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At the end of the brutal eight-year long Iran-Iraq war, Mehdi Ostadhashemi's mother fled with him to the United States to make a new life.
Now, 18 years later and a soldier in the US army, in a palace built by Saddam Hussein to commemorate his "victory" over Iran all those years ago, Ostadhashemi received his American citizenship on Saturday, Veterans' Day, together with 74 others.
"I didn't even know I could until five months ago," admitted Ostadhashemi, who has been in the army for two years, with half of that time fighting in Iraq. "I joined the army to get into college and get my head straight," the Virginia resident added, speaking with a soft southern accent.
The soldiers and marines that filled the sumptious hall of the Faw Palace near Baghdad airport were from 33 different countries and were part of the tens of thousands of non-citizens that serve in the US armed forces.
"What makes today so special, what makes each of you so special is that this is not the first time you have made this commitment, you did it when you joined the armed forces," said US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad who presided over the ceremony together with military commanders.
"Just like you, I am an American by choice," said the Afghan-born ambassador. "I know how you feel, I had the same feeling in 1984 when I became an American citizen - it was certainly one of the high points in my life."
Part of the oath the new citizens had to recite included a promise to "bear arms on the behalf of the United States", something many have already been doing for years.
"It feels good, it feels great, actually, since I've been fighting for the country to get the title of being a citizen of the country," said Specialist Claudio Reyes, a Los Angeles resident born in El Salvador who joined the army two years ago.
Soldiers and marines, including seven women, from countries as diverse as Uganda, Jamaica, Ivory Coast, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Bosnia and Uzbekistan received a certificate of citizenship and an American flag.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006

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