They came from 29 countries and became Americans aboard the Battleship New Jersey in Camden.
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Olivier Franck Duverneau, 21, was a boy in Haiti when the 2010 earthquake devastated the island. In the chaotic aftermath, he was impressed by the members of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, who were helping people and handing out ready-to-eat meals.
"I said I want to be one of these guys. If I get the chance, I'll take it," Duverneau said.
That chance came when he emigrated to the United States two years ago, and found out he could enlist though he only had a green card.
And on the Fourth of July, clad in his Army fatigues aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey in Camden, Duverneau took the oath making him an American citizen. Of the 42 who became citizens at the ceremony Wednesday, at least 10 were military members or veterans who swore allegiance to the country they'd already served.
Asked if he felt different after taking the oath, though he was already pledged to serve in the Army, Duverneau's face transformed with an enormous smile.
"Hell yeah. I'm an American," the Ewing resident said. "That's really important."
At the annual naturalization ceremony aboard the historic battleship, the 42 immigrants stood together, raised their right hands, and repeated the oath that made them citizens. After speeches from officials including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, they each received a certificate and dispersed to hug their family members and friends. Some registered to vote on the spot. Some scooped hot, tired toddlers into their arms and carried them toward shore and more celebrations.
They hail from 29 different countries, some from as far away as Vietnam and Cameroon and others from as close as Canada and Mexico.
In his address, Booker, D-N.J., urged the new citizens to help the United States to become "a more perfect union" with more love and equality among its residents. He said true patriotism isn't just loving the country, it's loving all its people.
"America has always been aspiring to be about love. Love sees the worth and sees the dignity of everyone, understands that we all have something to contribute, that we need each other, that we share a common destiny," Booker said. "That indeed those Latin words so associated with the truth of our nation, 'e pluribus unum,' is about love. At a time when we often see such hatred and bigotry and meanness in our country, we need to hail the truth of our nation: that we are here because of love."
Booker said he often tells people, "If this country hasn't broken your heart, then you don't love her enough."
"Because sometimes our nation is wrong. We have a history of being a nation that's committed making ourselves a more perfect union... If you love something, you want to elevate it and improve it," he told the crowd.
He said Americans had to unite and go toward that common goal, and quoted an old African saying: "If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together."
New citizen Cherie Morad, 37, second from left, gets a hug from her children Gloria Abdelshahid, 13, and Andrew Abdelshahid, 11, and her husband, Ayman Abdelshahid, 47.Rebecca Everett | For NJ.com
After the ceremony, new citizen Cherie Morad, 37, of Cherry Hill said that saying stuck with her.
Morad is from Egypt but has lived in the United States for five years with her husband and two children. Asked about her feelings on being an immigrant at a time when immigration is one of the most hotly debated issues nationally, she said she doesn't feel like one anymore. "I'm an American. Thank God."
"It's a great feeling. I can't tell you. It's amazing," she said.
Her son, Andrew Abdelshahid, 11, said he was also excited about his mom's citizenship for a practical reason: Her status now means the family can travel abroad.
"We couldn't go anywhere because my mom couldn't go," he said.
David Fernandez, in black, takes the oath of allegiance along with 41 others and led by John Thompson, left, Newark District director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, at a naturalization ceremony on the Battleship New Jersey on July 4, 2018.Scott Anderson | NJ.com
David Fernandez, 24, was born in Costa Rica but has lived in the United States for 15 years. He serves in the Army and said becoming a citizen will help him further his career.
"It doesn't feel any different," he said. "I always felt like a part of the nation, but now it's official."
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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