New London - After Marcus Percy was sworn in as an American citizen Monday, along with 12 others aboard the Coast Guard barque Eagle, he stood alone on the pier beside the tall ship and waved his American flag.

Percy, who came to the United States from Haiti 20 years ago, is the last of his extended family to become a naturalized citizen. They were all working Monday afternoon and were unable to attend the ceremony, but that didn't stop the 31-year-old security guard from celebrating.

"It's a great feeling,'' he said, holding a disposable camera and asking a passerby to take his picture in front of Eagle. "I love the fact that the ceremony was straightforward and to the point. I love living here. I'm part of the culture and now I have the rights and opportunities of everyone else."

He said his family was planning a party for him later in the day.

The brief afternoon ceremony was the first of its kind to take place aboard the Eagle, which was confiscated from the Germans and became a "naturalized" U.S. ship after World War II. Senior Judge Warren Eginton of the U.S. District Court of Connecticut presided.

"This is a very special occasion today,'' Eginton said, addressing the 13 new citizens who hailed from People's Republic of China, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Italy, Peru, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.

The candidates recited the Oath of Allegiance, which includes the words "I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of American against all enemies, foreign and domestic ..." Then they said the "Pledge of Allegiance" for the first time as U.S. citizens.

YingYing Gao of Niantic, a member of the Army Reserves and a native of China, led the pledge.

The Coast Guard Academy Cadet Chorale sang the national anthem and "God Bless the U.S.A.''

"If you don't get a chill down your spine or a catch in your throat at these things, then you are not alive,'' said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, the guest speaker.

He thanked the Coast Guard for allowing the ceremony to take place on the deck of the Eagle and praised Rear Adm. J. Scott Burhoe, superintendent of the academy, for his efforts to open up the academy to the community.

But most of his remarks were geared toward the "heroes" of the day, the 13 new citizens who stepped forward to swear allegiance to the Constitution and the American way of life.

"It goes to the core of who we are as Americans,'' Courtney said.

Russell Inzinga, a retired Merchant Marine, handed out American flags to the new citizens as they received their naturalization certificates.

For 19-year-old Vlad Pytyak of Stamford, one of four members of the Army Reserves to be sworn in, becoming a citizen was what he "most wanted to do" since coming to the United States in 2003 from Ukraine.

"At first I was really homesick,'' he said following the ceremony. "But then I fell in love with the United States."

Here, he could get a job at 16, learn to drive a car and join the Army, things that were not available to him in Ukraine.

"I've started a life here,'' he said.

k.edgecomb@theday.com