August 18, 2008, Twentynine Palms, CA - It truly was a case of home being where the heart is.

The Marines came from all over - Kazakhstan, Jamaica, Guatemala, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, Indonesia, the Philippines - but Monday evening threaded them together with one common theme.

Their home is now officially the United States, a country they've defended overseas since the war on terror began.

"You may not only be our newest citizens, but you may be our greatest citizens," said U.S. Federal Court Judge David Carter, a former Marine who officiated the naturalization ceremony for 22 Marines and two Navy sailors.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials have naturalized more than 37,250 military members since Sept. 11, 2003, but this was the first ceremony held on a military base.

"They've already given an oath to defend this country," said USCIS spokesman Jorge Swank. "The government should make every effort to ensure we make these soldiers citizens."

President Bush signed the Expedited Naturalization Executive Order in July 2002, enabling non-citizens on active duty to immediately file for citizenship. Military personnel would normally have to serve a year before qualifying for citizenship.

More than two dozen Marines stationed at the base applied for citizenship in recent months. They had to be interviewed and correctly answer 10 computer-randomized questions on American history before they could become U.S. citizens.

Studying had to be done on their personal time and some commanders admitted they didn't give additional time to prepare for the test. Combat training came first.

Yet, the country's newest 24 citizens made it their priority.

Some said they wanted the right to vote, others said they wanted the ability to move up the ranks and obtain a security clearance.

"I wanted to be a citizen, it's just that simple," said Surafel Melake, 19, who moved to the country 12 years ago with his mother and sister from Ethiopia.

The group sat silently in their tan uniforms before the naturalization ceremony began, many thumbing through a citizen's almanac left on their seats.

Pride beamed on their faces as they listened to the national anthem with their fists held tightly at their sides and their eyes gazing at the American flag.

"I'm legally part of this country now. I think this country's great and I joined the military to give back," said Adolfo Gonzalez, 26, a Navy medic originally from Colombia. "Now the country's really accepting me."

Fourteen of the Marines naturalized Monday will be deployed to Iraq within the next month. All of them belong to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, which is currently the only mobilized Marine reserve unit.

Not all military personnel, however, have lived to become permanent U.S. residents.

USCIS has granted posthumous citizenship to 113 members of the U.S. armed forces.