US News

From hero to citizen

WASHINGTON — It was an Independence Day they’ll never forget.

Two military service members from Queens yesterday spent an unforgettable Fourth of July taking the oath of US citizenship at the White House in front of President Obama.

“It was awesome. I met the president. He’s just awesome. I’m so happy,” gushed newly sworn-in citizen Alla Ausheva (pictured) of Bayside.

Daniel Geneta, also of Bayside, was left awestruck after shaking Obama’s hand.

“I can’t even describe it. It was so unreal. But it was an honor,” he told The Post.

They were among 25 military members who became full-fledged Americans at the ceremony, earning it through a program started after 9/11 that fast-tracks naturalization in the military.

“All of you did something profound: You chose to serve. You put on the uniform of a country that was not yet fully your own,” Obama told them. “You displayed the values that we celebrate every Fourth of July — duty, responsibility and patriotism.”

Ausheva, 31, came from Russia last year after winning a Green Card lottery and immediately joined the New York Army National Guard.

Geneta, 29, came to the United States from the Philippines when he was 12 and joined the New York Army National Guard in 2006.