I'm proud to be an American!

I'm proud to be an American!

Hey, that's a great title for a song!
















I'm proud to be married to an American! Actually, until my dear husband, Wild Bill Jones, became an American citizen April 9, 2009, I was proud to be married to a Canadian!

Now, after 5 1/2 years, I went from being married to a Canadian and having an International marriage to being married to an American. For me it all happened in a matter of hours while I sat in the back portion of the auditorium at the Homeland Security office in Tukwilla, Washington South of Seattle. It was a touching finale to all the time, money and effort my husband had exchanged for the privileges associated with becoming a naturalized American citizen. I cried while watching the two short videos, one on the many faces that have crossed our shores and borders to live the American Dream and the other with Lee Greenwood singing "I'm proud to be an American!" with wonderful heartfelt images. I sat expectantly through the speeches about the many freedoms we Americans all enjoy and I cried some more when my husband and 122 other people, from 41 different countries, all stood with their right hand raised to take the oath to finally be first class citizens in the United States.

For Wild Bill it was a much longer process, 5 1/2 years to be exact. First he needed an Immigration attorney to help him traverse the tricky and challenging changes in immigration laws since September 11, 2001. The first thing we were told is that Wild Bill could not leave the US, and be assured of being able to return, because he didn't have the proper travel documents. Then the real fun began...He needed to take the time to be fingerprinted and I needed to accompany him on an interview with Homeland Security to prove we were married. If you have ever seen the movie "Green Card" it will give you an idea what that was like. At one point he was told to write four separate checks to the FBI, CIA, INS and Homeland Security for background security checks, which took forever, because his name was William Arthur Jones and there are a lot of William A. Jones world wide, with records not suitable for immigrating to the US, that had to be checked against my husband's records.

The first success came when he received his work permit months after the process began. In the meantime we had been invited to his youngest son, Aaron's, wedding in Toronto a few months out. While he was waiting for his temporary green card to arrive we were making plans to attend the wedding. Unfortunately the green card didn't arrive in time, but a letter saying it was on the way soon did arrive and we went to the wedding with letter in hand. At the Toronto airport, the morning of our return to the US, my husband was detained because US Immigration did not like the way the letter looked. Rather than recount the story, just know that the US Government is serious about detaining people if they have any doubts whatsoever. We learned that lesson on several other occasions at US borders and I came to think of my husband as being like a dolphin getting caught in the tuna nets.

After having a temporary green card for two years he was able to apply for his permanent resident card which, by the way, is good for only ten years. He could not leave the US during that time as he had to give up his temporary green card when he processed the paperwork for his permanent green card. This created a new dilemma for us as we received word that his middle son, Lloyd, was going to be married in London in the fall. We waited again to have the necessary documents so we could travel to the wedding. This time he did get his permanent green card in time to travel to the wedding and from that point on we never had any trouble traveling again!

Somewhere along the way my husband decided he wanted to participate in his adoptd homeland in a much bigger way and also be able to vote. So he very quietly went about the business of doing all the paperwork required to become an American citizen; months of gathering papers together, reading books and studying for the test he would have to pass. Finally the day came and he went by himself to Homeland Security to take the test and be interviewed so that he could be a Naturalized citizen of the United Sates of America.

After passing the test my husband decided to do something he had wanted to do for a long time...he changed his name offcially and legally to Wild Bill Jones. After he was sworn in last week, with the other 122 people from 41 different countries, he patiently waited for his name to be called. I think at least 100 different names were called before I heard "Wild Bill Jones" from the podium. When I heard his name I rose from my seat so that I could photograph him walking, with a lilt in his step, to receive his certificate of naturalization!

I am so honored and grateful to have been a witness to the naturalization process that Wild Bill experienced over the past 5 1/2 years. When we were first married neither one of us expected that he would become an American citizen. However, after living here I could see that he was feeling like he couldn't fully contribute in his new homeland. Now he can!

I am honored to be married to the American I proudly call my husband, Wild Bill Jones!

With love and gratitude,
Dyann

Post Scrip: It is now a year later and I just re-read this for the first time since I posted it and must admit it made me cry. Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of Wild becoming a naturalized American citizen. Everything has become so much easier, especially travel, since Wild now has an American passport. Once he received all his paperwork it became clear that his first name is Wild and his middle is Bill I have taken to calling my husband Wild. I like it...short and sweet, just like him! Many of our friends and family call  him Wild and a lot of people seem to get a real kick out of calling him Wild Bill. When he introduces himself to people, very often they do not believe his real name is Wild Bill. I have seen him pull out his drivers license many times to gales of laughter! When we travel through airports the security often comment on his name when they see his passport. They have actually shown a sense of humor when he passes through their interview process. He lives up to his name and I love him more each day. I am honored to have Wild as my husband, business partner and best friend!

Happy First Anniversary of your American citizenship dear husband!

With love and admiration,
Dyann