A 103-year-old Cambodian woman who survived starvation, suffering and war in her native land beamed and waved a tiny American flag on Tuesday as she became a United States citizen.
Hong Inh was the oldest of more than 10,000 people who took the oath of allegiance in a cavernous room at the downtown Convention Center in Los Angeles.
She came to the United States when she was about 97 years old to join a daughter and other relatives.
Three generations of her family, from her 80-year-old daughter Hieng Meng to 13-year-old great-granddaughter Melissa Tea were on hand for the ceremonies.
She has 30 grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in the U.S. and Cambodia.
Her relatives helped Hong Inh up from a wheelchair and she stood with a flag in her raised hand to receive the oath. Her grandson spoke the words but she joined in the roar of applause at its conclusion.
Hong Inh is not the oldest person to become a U.S. citizen. Manik Bokchalian, a Turkish immigrant who lived in Los Angeles, was 117 when she took the oath in 1997.
