General Odierno

Thanks to the pool reporter traveling with Vice President Biden we have a more colorful, emotional accounting of the swearing in ceremony of 237 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who became citizens of the United States on the 4th of July while stationed in Iraq. While most of these men and women were from Mexico and the Phillipines, there were 12 Iraqis who joined our ranks as citizens.

The ceremony was the largest naturalization ceremony held in Iraq and was held in the rotunda of the Aw Faw Palace, one of Saddam's more luxurious palaces. Soldiers looked down from three balconies to view the ceremony. The chandelier that provided the lighting for the service was described as a sight to behold with a giant sparkling centerpiece surrounded by 16 smaller chandeliers dangling from an ornate painted ceiling.

Soldiers dressed in camouflage sat on folding chairs in the center of the room with their weapons stored beneath their chairs. They were encircled by six black columns possibly of marble, granite or onyx.