Marine sergeant among those taking oath on Washington’s lawn
MOUNT VERNON, Va. — The well-dressed crowd sat in folding chairs on the lawn at Mount Vernon as the sun beat down on a July Fourth Saturday. Families clung to the shade of trees on either side of the gathering, where one woman had two American flags stuck through her ponytail.
Anne Neal Petri, the regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, opened the ceremony.
“Well, good morning, everybody,” Petri said.
“Good morning!” an excited crowd returned.
“And Happy Birthday, United States of America!” Petri exclaimed.
Among the 150 people from 50 globe-spanning countries preparing to be sworn in was U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare from Guinea, who attended in his pressed Dress Blue uniform with three medals pinned to his left breast. The ceremony took place on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The crowd was a flutter of paddle fans stamped with American flags as the candidates for citizenship sat in front of a small stage. The historic property served as the home of the first U.S. president.