Color Guard
‘Did Us Proud’

By Pat Dodge

Once again the Post 229 Color Guard has brought honor to the Post.

They presented the colors at the naturalization ceremony held Friday, November 5, at the Oneida County Office building. They did us proud. 

Afterward, everyone who came into the reception, including the employees of the county, were asking where they were from and we proudly told everyone -- from our Post 229. 

Thanks, fellows, for being there for us again.

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 229 and Utica Post 229 Color Guard helped welcome 32 new citizens during naturalization ceremonies Nov. 5 at the Oneida County Office Building in Utica.

“Today is all about you and home,” the guest speaker, Family Court Judge Joan Teuchert Shkane, told the new citizens. “Home is where we find safety from harm for ourselves and family. Welcome home.”

She noted that some immigrants came for religious reasons, some for work, some for food, some for political freedom, some to escape war. There are “many reasons that citizens have come,” Judge Skane said. “Welcome home.”

The Color Guard presented the colors and the Auxiliary hosted a reception for the new citizens, who came from Somalia, Uzbekistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Columbia, Burma, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kosovo, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Philippines, China and France.

Auxiliary Member Rose Coniglio was part of the receiving line, handing out souvenir pencils to the new citizens.