Las Vegas Sun

November 15, 2009

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Editorial: A precious reminder

Monday, April 4, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

In our country of immigrants, Faik Halilovic stands out. With his native country, Bosnia, in the grip of war, he made his way to Germany in 1992, when he was 17. He and some members of his family made their way to Las Vegas five years later, under an amnesty program offered by President Clinton.

He learned English and found work at the Sahara hotel. Through it all his No. 1 goal was to become an American citizen. He studied hard for the citizenship test, but before he could take it, he was stricken with a deadly form of cancer. He was not to be denied, however.

Workers at the Nathan Adelson Hospice on North Buffalo Drive, where he is now living, learned of his dream. They arranged, through Rep. Shelley Berkley's office, for U.S. Judge Philip Pro to administer the oath of citizenship to him.

"Thank you very much. God bless the world. God bless America," the dying man told Pro after the ceremony last week. "Words can't describe it."

None are needed. His dream alone says it all: Never take citizenship for granted. Thanks for the reminder, Faik.

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