MT. VERNON — About 40 people living throughout Southern Illinois pledged their allegiance to the United States for the first time as citizens.

A naturalization ceremony was held Thursday at Mt. Vernon Township High School to finalize the naturalization process for people from 21 countries.

The day may have seen 42 new citizens, as one woman had to say the oath of citizenship early, having gone into labor with twins.

“I rushed over to the high school,” said Judge Kenneth Myers. “We swore her in first. Her husband is a doctor, but he wasn’t an obstetrician and he did not want to deliver the babies.”

The ceremony for the other 39 candidates began with remarks by Myers.

He said he wished to hold the ceremony at the auditorium at MVTHS, where students watched from the balcony, so they could understand the effort each candidate put into become a citizen.

He quoted the Declaration of Independence — “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” — and extolled the many rights the United States will offer the new citizens.

Myers encouraged them to register to vote, saying, “one vote in a precinct can make a difference in a presidential election.”

He said he and his wife, Susan, have a special interest in naturalization, as they had adopted their daughter from South Korea.

Jim Porter, first assistant U.S. District Attorney of Southern Illinois, said it was easy for citizens to fall into the trap of indifference, and that those who ignore the governmental process do so at their own peril.

“What this means,” he said, “is getting involved in the community, whether that’s volunteering at a food pantry or addressing the City Council.”

Porter confirmed the candidates had all lived in the United States the amount of time required to become citizens and they were of good moral character.

The candidates renounced their allegiance to any other foreign state and pledged to protect the United States against foreign enemies.

The new citizens had the opportunity to speak to the crowd. They said they were from the Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, India, the Philippines, Bosnia, Germany, Syria, Ghana, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, China and more.

They had many reasons for becoming citizens — to be a good example to their children, to join the rest of their families, who had become citizens, to have a better life, to get an education, to become a part of a country they had come to learn and found to be “the most amazing place,” — but the main feelings expressed were pride and happiness at being able to say they were Americans.

Mt. Vernon Mayor Mary Jane Chesley and Judge David Overstreet gave remarks after the new citizens spoke.

Chesley said her great-grandmother, Annie, immigrated to the U.S. from rural Nova Scotia in the 1880s after her husband died and she was left a widow with five children and no education.

“She had the opportunity to live with her relatives and found a job working for a shoe factory,” she said. “She knew how important it was for her children to get an education.”

Chesley said by immigrating, her great-grandmother ensured a better life for herself and her descendants.

“This is a place that has drawn people from around the world,” she said. “Generation after generation have come to these shores because they believe anything is possible.”

Overstreet said he felt like a “softy” speaking at the ceremony, because he is reminded of his daughter, who he and his wife adopted from Romania.

After the new citizens received their certificates of citizenship, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented them with American flags.

Myers said the citizens were from all over the Southern Illinois area, from the 38 southernmost counties in his court district.

“The majority come from spouses of the military from Scott Air Force Base, or doctors and doctors’ spouses,” he said. “We do four (naturalization ceremonies) a year in the district.”