JULY 17, 2023 — The American Bar Association, the Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel presented the Legal Assistance Distinguished Service Award to Region Legal Service Office Midwest (RLSO), Recruit Training Command (RTC), and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Chicago Field Office for outstanding contributions to legal assistance for military personnel, their families and other eligible persons.
The presentation was held July 13, at RTC’s Chapel during a bi-monthly naturalization ceremony where 50 recruits and three Sailors in “A” School from 24 countries, spanning five continents were naturalized.
“The naturalization program at RTC is a highly functioning inter-agency effort to identify Recruits who desire US citizenship, and then shepherd them through the process as efficiently as possible so that they can graduate from boot camp ready to train and deploy as Americans,” said Executive Officer of Region Legal Service Office Midwest Cmdr. Craig Thedwall.
USCIS and RLSO work with RTC to expedite citizenship for U.S. Navy recruits who are qualified under the Immigration & National Act, which allows expedited naturalization for aliens and non-citizen nationals serving in an active-duty status.
“RTC and USCIS are the best possible partners, because each one understands their mission and work in concert to get a lot of work done on a short timeframe,” added Thedwall.
When a recruit’s application for naturalization is granted, RTC’s naturalization team coordinates a ceremony with USCIS and the District Court of Illinois. From start to finish the process takes about eight weeks. RTC typically holds two of these ceremonies a month. The execution of this feat is reliant on the RTC naturalization team which is made of all volunteers who take on this added responsibility on top of their normal duties.
“I am so pleased for the recognition of these Sailors for their tireless efforts to see these recruits to the finish line,” said the Commanding Officer of Recruit Training Command Capt. Kertreck Brooks. “This award is an amazing way to recognize these Sailors who volunteer their time, in an already packed work schedule here at Recruit Training Command, that all their hard work is genuinely appreciated.”
As of March 2023, RTC naturalized more than 250 recruits and assisted more than 1,400 recruits with their N-426 and N-400 forms since the program was reinstated in October of 2021.
“We get to see firsthand the smiles and joy on the faces of these recruits and Sailors each month when they are sworn in and have the opportunity to not only walk away as United States Sailors, but also as naturalized U.S. citizens,” said Brooks.
Boot camp is approximately 10 weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes five warfighting competencies of firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding, and small arms handling and marksmanship along with physical fitness and lessons in Navy heritage and core values, Warrior Toughness, Life Skills, teamwork and discipline. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.
For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc
Story by Lt.j.g. Nicholas Lingo
U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command