Kosovo-born Marine becomes US citizen in Afghanistan

Photo By Cpl. Khoa Pelczar | Lance Cpl. Betim Neziri, supply clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st...... read more read more

Photo By Cpl. Khoa Pelczar | Lance Cpl. Betim Neziri, supply clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), becomes a United States citizen during a naturalization ceremony at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 3. Neziri, 29, from Prishtina, Kosovo, has come a long way since he first arrived in the U.S. with just 20 dollars in his pocket. Now he's a United States Marine and a U.S. citizen.  see less | View Image Page

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

06.08.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Khoa Pelczar 

1st Marine Logistics Group

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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – With just a few dollars in his pocket, a Kosovo native came to the United States to chase his dream of providing his family with a better life.

Lance Cpl. Betim Neziri, supply clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), became a U.S. citizen in a naturalization ceremony at Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, June 3.

"On June 14, 2005, I came to the U.S. with 20 dollars in my pocket," said Neziri, 29, from Prishtina, Kosovo. "I had nobody, I had nothing. I bought a calling card so I could call home to let my family know that I'm okay. I also bought a pack of cigarettes and a hot dog. And that was it, I was flat broke."

Arriving in New York City, he was a long way from home, he explained. He had nothing and nowhere to stay, but he was determined to achieve his goal. He went to the YMCA and stayed there for a while. They offered him a job as a summer camp counselor for three months in Rhode Island.

Neziri's boss, Gunnery Sgt. Michael J. Baird, supply chief with H&S Company, 1st MLG (FWD), is amazed at how far he's come.

"It gives me chills to hear him talk about his life up to this point, about the Marines and becoming a United States citizen, about what he's done, what he's accomplished," said Baird.

With enough money saved up from being a counselor, Neziri bought a cell phone and contacted his cousin in Houston, Texas. He went to stay with her for a year and enrolled in college. The high tuition cost made it hard for him to financially support his family back in Kosovo, so he dropped out and moved to Dallas, where he met and married his wife. They moved to Reno, Nevada to be near his wife's family.

Neziri witnessed Marines help liberate the war-torn country of Kosovo in 1999, and he was grateful for everything the Marines had done for his country and family, he said. He decided to give back, and he joined the Marine Corps, July 13, 2009.

"I wanted to give back for what they've done for me, my family and my nation," he said.

According to Baird, 37, from Aransas Pass, Texas, Neziri is mature and focused on his job, overseeing all of the gear and equipment in the 1st MLG (FWD) supply warehouse here. He knows exactly what he wants out of life and he's determined to get it, his boss observed.

"It makes me proud to be an American," said Baird, who is humbled to see Neziri, who had nothing, become a U.S. Marine and a U.S. citizen. "To see that we're allowing good people to have the opportunity to come here and become better…I'm honored to witness it all. It gave me chills just listening to it all and imagining what it would be like to be in [his] shoes."

The naturalization ceremony for service members is held twice a year, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, explained Petty Officer 1st Class John M. McBroom, noncommissioned officer in charge of Client Services and Legal Assistance at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Seventy service members were naturalized at the ceremony on June 3, said McBroom, 36, from Los Angeles. He said he's never experienced anything like this in his 10 years of service.

"It's a special experience," said McBroom. "It means a lot that people who came from other countries want to be part of America. I have guys who lost their [arms] and legs from IED attacks and they're apologizing to me because they can't be here. They're not even Americans yet and they're putting their lives on the line for me. I'm proud of them and I hope they can live their dreams in America."

Neziri is happy knowing he can finally live "The American Dream," alongside his Marine Corps brothers and sisters in Afghanistan.

"As I am holding the certificate in my hands, I still [can't] believe that it's true," said Neziri. "It's an honor and a privilege to be a United States citizen. It's a dream come true. It doesn't get any better than this. I just wish my wife and family were here to share this moment with me."