Troops in Iraq become U.S. citizens

BAGHDAD —  Almost 200 U.S. troops serving in Iraq celebrated Tuesday’s elections in a special way: They were sworn in as U.S. citizens.

But the 186 men and women -- who hail from 60 countries -- didn’t get to cast their first ballot for Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain. They became citizens too late to vote this year.

Dressed in fatigues and standing under a giant U.S. flag, the troops took their citizenship oath at a ceremony in a domed marble hall at Saddam Hussein’s old Al Faw Palace.

“Diverse as your backgrounds may be, you all now have one thing in common: You are all Americans,” said U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commander in Iraq. “You represent the very best of all that our nation stands for: freedom, opportunity, equality and service.”