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Orem • Gabriel Bowen arrived as an Ecuadorean at Orem's Scera Park on Friday. He departed as one of America's newest citizens — celebrating Independence Day early in a way he says he'll never forget.

As hundreds cheered, he was among 21 people from 16 countries who were sworn in as U.S. citizens at the Freedom Festival — including refugees, a world-class scientist, some who left home for religion and others who came for work, school or family. All love their new country's liberty.

When Bowen was asked why he chose to become a citizen, he paused for a half minute as tears started dripping down his cheeks.

"It's because this is my home now. It is a beautiful country. I have learned to love it," he said softly. "It has given me so much. I feel so blessed."

He came at age 18 to attend Utah Valley University, where he earned a degree in information technology. He met his wife, Renae, at a salsa dance in Provo. She is pregnant with their first child. Bowen looked at her and said, "We have a wonderful life, and I want to give back."

Becoming a citizen during Independence Day — with a huge crowd watching — made Bowen emotional. "We became independent from the British on this day," he said. "We celebrate freedom, and now I have freedom. I will remember this forever."

So will Ninh Quoc Chu, 69, who fled Vietnam 45 years ago as one of the "boat people" refugees. He would take years to make it to his dream home in America, and now decades later he is finally a citizen.

"In the refugee camp, so many people wanted to come to America — they told us it would take years," he said, even though a younger brother had emigrated to the United States and filed paperwork trying to bring him here.

Chu said the refugee camp was crowded and dirty, and his first son was born there amid squalor. So when the United Kingdom offered to let him go there immediately, he did. He studied and became a computer programmer, but still kept trying to come to America.

After 14 years in England, "One day I got a letter from the embassy, and it said 'now it is your turn.' "

He has now lived in America for 21 years. He could have applied for citizenship earlier, "but I just didn't feel like I was ready. Now it is time.... I have to belong to somewhere. A man cannot belong to nowhere."

Naveen Navarajan from India is a neuroscientist now working at the University of Utah with Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi — another one-time immigrant. Navarajan first came to America as a post-doctorate fellow at MIT, and later was a fellow at the University of California at San Francisco.

"My goal is to pursue science. The United States provides a lot of opportunity with funding in science. There's quite a few diseases that we want to conquer," he said. "Our goal is to make the world healthier."

His wife, Harsha, an accountant at Salt Lake Community College, said she joked with their immigration officer about how it would be nice to be sworn in on Independence Day "and he gave us that opportunity. We're very excited."

Marcos and Elizabeth Martinez are from Argentina. "My husband sensed that we needed to come to Salt Lake City as a family," Elizabeth said.

She said as a result of being a legal resident here but an Argentine, her husband was able to help the LDS Church transport materials needed for a temple in Cordoba, Argentina. "He was taking all the stuff that was needed for the temple because they wouldn't let an American take it. That was one of the reasons we came, I guess."

Marcos said they now want to be citizens "because all of our family is here, our kids, our grandkids. This is home now."

Andre Santos of Brazil said he had two sisters who immigrated before him and worked at Park City Mountain ski resort. "They said come on," and he did and also worked there for a time. He now operates a cleaning company in Park City.

He said he is becoming a citizen because "I like it here. I have kids now, and this is where I want to raise them."

Louise Munday from England looked at the crowds of her new countrymen there to cheer her and others as they celebrated Independence Day and said, "This is perfect."

Other new citizens sworn in came from Austria, France, Iran, Peru, Ukraine and Venezuela.

Nationwide, more than 4,000 new Americans are being sworn in this weekend at 50 ceremonies nationwide from George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia to the USS Midway in San Diego.

Welcoming the new Utah citizens in ceremonies in Orem were Sen. Orrin Hatch and retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, 94, better known as the candy bomber for dropping candy in parachutes to children in Berlin during the Soviet blockade there.

"We welcome you wonderful people," Halvorsen told the new citizens. "You are all in one happy family now."

He adds that America always needs new blood to thrive. "Thank you for the transfusion."