Maria Battaglia

Maria Battaglia, 58, spent a few hours in Tampa listening to others be called out to raise their hands and take the oath of an American citizen. When it came her turn, this woman from Spain, who has been living in the United States for more than two decades, raised her hand and swore to abide by the laws of the U.S. and its constitution. Then she cried with happiness. Battaglia, who is a worker in the kitchen of Fountain Crest was surprised last Thursday afternoon with a big cake and party from members of the staff and several residents of the complex.

What is so intriguing is that while she was studying to become an American citizen, her son, Dennis Battaglia, 22, was fighting in Afghanistan in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces when he took a bullet in his arm during an ambush. He was presented the Purple Heart for his heroic actions.

Battaglia, said she was from northern Spain and came to America more than 22 years ago. Her husband, an American Citizen, accompanied her to Tampa with a friend last week where some 600 people took the oath of citizenship.

“My husband told me not to cry. But I am emotional and I shed some tears,” she said. “I am so proud to be an American. This is the country I love. I love the people in America and the people are good and friendly.”

Battaglia has lived in Lehigh for about five years.

Dennis Battaglia after he graduated from Basic Training before he was deployed to Afghanistan.

She said over the years, her husband kept urging her to become a citizen and when her son went to Afghanistan to fight for his country, she said it gave her the incentive she needed, but it took a lot of studying to pass the test required for citizenship.

Her English is fairly good but she does have some problems with some words, but close friends and those she works with can understand her. She says she thinks in English and at work there is another Spanish woman, but they speak English and not their native tongue.

“We all love her so much and we are all so proud of her,” said Katherine Carroll, the food director at Fountain Crest on Taylor Lane Extended.

Battaglia had given her son a cell phone when he left for the military. It was that cell phone one day that she got a message from her son in Afghanistan who told her he had been shot, but that he was okay, but he wanted to tell her before she got a call from the military.

“I didn’t even think the cell phone would make calls from Afghanistan,” she said. “I was upset but he made sure I understood that he was going to be all right,” she said.

New citizen with supervisor. Maria Battaglia, left, an employee at Fountain Crest, is congratulated for becoming an American citizen, by her supervisor, Katherine Carroll.

Battaglia said she and her husband have kept up with Dennis while he was in the Special Forces fighting in Afghanistan mainly through Facebook on the computer and from time to time through Skype, a free computer program where people can see each other when they talk to one another in real time.

She wasn’t sure of his rank but she is assured that within a few months he will be coming home for good and she doesn’t think he will reenlist.

Her soldier son spent a week in Lehigh two weeks ago. After coming back from Afghanistan, he was given a four-week leave before he has to report back to his unit at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

“But he has six more months,” she said. Then he will be out for good.“

“I have been so proud of him and he has told me how wonderful he felt when I told him I was going to Tampa to take the test to become an American citizen after all these years,” she said.

New Citizen with papers to prove it: Maria Battaglia is shown with papers presented her last week in Tampa after she became an American citizen. Photo by Mel Toadvine

He was in Tampa with his dad, when she rose her hand to take the oath. She and her husband came back with a friend and her son headed in another direction to visit friends, so he wasn’t in Lehigh last week when Fountain Head held a gala party for her.

Her supervisor, Katherine Carroll, said Battaglia has been studying very hard to make sure she passed the test.

“She had information sent to her to study and every day she spent an hour going over the materials to learn all she could. Her son didn’t know of her intent until she told him she was going to become an American citizen when he got home from Afghanistan,” she said.

Battaglia said it was a wonderful feeling when they called out her name and she raised her hand and an immigration judge on the stage at Convention Hall read the oath to her while she raised her hand and agreed to abide by the laws of the U.S. and its constitution.

“I was the only one from Spain,” she said. “After I was sworn it, everyone, 600 people all clapped and cheered. It was that way for all the others when their names were called out, too, she said.

Battaglia said she got her Italian name from her husband. She said that of the 600 or so people in Tampa to become citizens mainly they came from Cuba, Canada and England.

“It was an emotional event and I feel great,” she said with her ever-present smile.

“Even though my husband asked me not to cry, they were tears of happiness to finally be a citizen of America,” she said.

Now she is looking forward to registering to vote in the next election, but she won’t divulge which party she will select.

“I love politics,” she smiled. “But I will keep that private – me becoming either Republican or Democrat,” she said laughing.

“You know you really want to become an American when you get up and leave home by 4 a.m. to drive to Tampa for the ceremonies,” said her supervisor at Fountain Crest, Katherine Carroll.

“She’s the kind of person that America needs. She is a wonderful worker, a friendly person liked by all that know her. She is just a great person and we at Fountain Crest are so very proud of her right now,” Carroll said.