Finally, after so many years we went to Atlanta for the ceremony of PIETER'S OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
Friday, 23 April, was a special day.
It was exactly 10 years ago that we first entered Dublin on Saturday, 23 April, 1983 on Campbell's private plane, a Learjet. Brother Piet Van den Munckhof's birthday...
This time we got up at 4:30 AM and drove to Atlanta at 5:30 AM to be in time at the Civic Centre. Everything went well, although around 7:30 AM it became very busy on the 10-lane Interstate through the city. It was morning–rush–hour in a city of 2.5 million, so you can expect something like this.
But we were parked on time in the large parking lot diagonally opposite the Civic Centre. Then a short walk. It was windy and also cool. At 4:30 AM it was only 2°C or 35.6°F! There were hundreds of people walking towards the Civic Centre, so we weren't the only ones. The doors didn't open until 8:30 AM and people were spoken to, for telling them what and where to go. The visitors, such as family members, had to go upstairs and those who had a call from the Immigration Office had to pick up their certificate at the tables with the last three numbers of their green card. So if your U.S. green card ended in 103, for example, then you had to go in the line of 100–200.
There were 1,800 people gathered that morning, all of whom had to go through the official mill and then go in to take place downstairs. Of course, that took hours. At 11:00 AM, the room was almost filled and the judges began the ceremony. First, an introduction by the Deputy District Director of USINS Atlanta District (United States Immigration and Naturalization Service). Then the National Anthem was sung standing up and the welcome speech by yet another high–ranking person. Then a speech by William Porter 'Billy' Payne, President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
He addressed the group, those 1,800 people gathered from as many as 77 countries!!! That's when the 1,800 candidates for U.S. Citizenship were officially sworn in by the District Director. Some final comments and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. A great event that caused quite a stir... Many shed tears. The President of the Olympic Games Committee said in his speech that he had been to 75 countries and that people often asked what was so special about this country. He said, "The United States" is the only country in the world where they accept all the people of the whole world as emigrants.
That's why it works, the United States is in fact, a reflection of the total world population. Everyone lives and works together here in a country with enormous freedoms, enormous opportunities—the American Dream.
The Atlanta T.V. recorded the entire ceremony.
So as of Friday, April 23, Pieter J.C. Vedder is now an American citizen. Within a few months, Mariette A.M. Van den Munckhof-Vedder will also be sworn in. Here in America, you use your birth name first, before your spouse's. Which makes sense, because this is also the order in which you obtained your names.
