An awesome achievement

That was an amazing gathering yesterday at the middle school.

Not Woodland for the McEuen shindig; the naturalization ceremony at Shaw Middle School in Spokane. There, two Kootenai County residents became U.S. citizens.

Their stories aren't just heart-warming - they're inspiring.

Alejandra Paterno has lived in Coeur d'Alene for two years after moving here from Oregon. A native of Mexico City, she's married to an American citizen, Anthony Paterno, and they have two little girls.

Now that she's a citizen, Paterno is eager to exercise her right to vote. She also hopes to secure visas for her parents, so they can visit Coeur d'Alene and see her beautiful home.

"I just love this place," Mrs. Paterno said. "I grew up in the city - this is such a blessing being here. It's clean, and we don't have to deal with traffic."

Jonathan Henriquez Chacon, a native of El Salvador, emigrated to California in 1987. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Marines - risking his life in Iraq for a nation that hadn't officially accepted him as a citizen. Mr. Chacon and his family now live in Hayden.

We welcome with great pride and open arms these members of our community. We see them not as novice Americans, but as Americans that many other citizens would do well to emulate.

To become a U.S. citizen, applicants must pass a test which we believe some Americans would fail miserably. As a daily newspaper reader, you're ahead of the curve. But how many other Americans can tell you how many representatives there are in Congress, who Idaho's two U.S. senators are, or what are the three branches of government?

Who's the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court? What are the 13 original states? What is the Bill of Rights?

Mrs. Paterno and Mr. Chacon breezed through the test. If it were administered today to every adult U.S. citizen, with failure leading to deportation, how many of your neighbors do you think would suddenly disappear?

Citizenship is something most of us take for granted because we didn't have to earn it.

We stand in awe of those who do.