Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrates 40 years of U.S. citizenship, ‘I owe everything to America’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is celebrating being an American for 40 years now on social media.

This past weekend, the bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-politician-turned-passionate donkey owner shared a number of pictures documenting his childhood in Austria before coming to the United States in 1968. 

All the while playing audio of his speech from the 2004 Republican National Convention.

On September 17, 1983, Schwarzenegger acquired citizenship.

“My fellow Americans, this an amazing moment for me,” it begins, adding, “To think that a once scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become governor of the state of California, that is an immigrant’s dream.”

It further went, “In school when the teacher would talk about America, I would daydream about coming here. I would daydream about living here.”

“As long as I live, I will never forget the day when I raised my right hand and I took the oath of citizenship. You know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with the American flag around my shoulders all day long,”

In addition, there are pictures of Schwarzenegger as a young man growing up in Austria, as governor of California, and as a husband and father in the collection.

“It is one of the proudest days of my life,” Schwarzenegger captioned the post. “I owe everything to America. Born in Austria, Made in America!”