thedrifter
12-21-07, 02:48 AM
12-19-2007
Unsung Heroes: Interpreters in Combat
By Capt. Eric Balough
I have had the privilege and honor of serving with many courageous men in battle over my last two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an advisor in Iraq and Afghanistan I’ve had incredibly difficult challenges in trying to accomplish my small part of helping to build effective and trained national armies. It would be much easier to train an English speaking force because the communication and cultural barriers would be much easier to overcome. If I found myself in Latin America, I could even get by with the smattering of Spanish that I know. But I found myself immersed in two completely different cultures from my own, and surrounded by two completely unfamiliar languages. The common link between the relative success that I have had in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the interpreters assigned to working with me. Since I, like the majority of Soldiers assigned to advisory roles, do not speak Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or Urdu, I have relied heavily on my “terps”. Without them, there would be no success in building the Iraqi or Afghani armies.
So who are these cultural ambassadors on which we pin virtually all of our success in Iraq and Afghanistan? They tend to be well educated city boys between the ages of 19 to 25 who answered the American military’s need to communicate with their own people so that we can rebuild their countries and establish functional governments. The reasons for them working for Americans are almost as varied as the people that fill these roles. Almost to the person, terps knowingly put themselves and their families at great risk of facing brutal retribution by our enemies. All American’s deployed to these places put themselves in harm’s way. However, few place their families at risk by choosing to serve. Some have even left quiet lives in the United States to go back to their home country to give their fellow countrymen hope. The stakes are high for a terp, but the rewards of rebuilding their countries seem to out weigh the risks. In every firefight that I have experienced, I have had an interpreter right behind me, echoing my direction to the leaders I am advising. They are not professional soldiers, and they can easily walk away if they so choose.
In comparison to the average Afghan or Iraqi soldier, terps get paid like rock stars which is anywhere between $800 and $1300 a month. They quietly yearn for the day when they get picked for a special program that allows a small portion of interpreters to gain US citizenship on an annual basis. This is a rewarding program for a few interpreters, but we can do more. Rewarding these individuals with the privilege of being an American has the obvious benefit of gaining talented and energetic people that typify the American immigrant. The energy that they bring reflects the spirit that our country was founded upon. The drawbacks to allowing more interpreters to gain US citizenship are that they would likely face alienation from their new home and would deprive their countries of the same talented individuals that could easily rebuild other segments of their society. One healthy compromise on this current program is to allow more interpreters to attend American universities on a full scholarship and return to their country upon completion of a degree. Initially, the pool of qualified interpreters may dwindle, but returning a better educated work force to Iraq and Afghanistan would be well worth the investment of the time and money. The effects of such a program would have a longer lasting impact in both of these countries and likely result in increased long-term stability. Training the future leadership of these countries on our terms increases the chances of stable relations with them, and increases the odds of having a stable government. We are certainly spending the money on these countries, maybe we need to think about investing in education as well.
“Taliban” means “student” in Pashto. Maybe its time that we fight the Al Qaeda and the Taliban with our own “taliban”. Let’s set the conditions for a true victory over ideologies based on fear and ignorance with knowledge and education. Our interpreters can help us win these wars in more ways than just being a mouthpiece. Let’s give these unsung heroes a better chance at winning their war.
Editor’s Note: Capt. Balough is a 2001 graduate of the United States Military Academy, with a commission as an officer of infantry. During the last four months of his deployment to Iraq with 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Capt. Balough served as advisor to an Iraqi national guard company. Presently, Capt. Balough is with a mobile training team in Afghanistan.
Ellie
Unsung Heroes: Interpreters in Combat
By Capt. Eric Balough
I have had the privilege and honor of serving with many courageous men in battle over my last two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an advisor in Iraq and Afghanistan I’ve had incredibly difficult challenges in trying to accomplish my small part of helping to build effective and trained national armies. It would be much easier to train an English speaking force because the communication and cultural barriers would be much easier to overcome. If I found myself in Latin America, I could even get by with the smattering of Spanish that I know. But I found myself immersed in two completely different cultures from my own, and surrounded by two completely unfamiliar languages. The common link between the relative success that I have had in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the interpreters assigned to working with me. Since I, like the majority of Soldiers assigned to advisory roles, do not speak Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or Urdu, I have relied heavily on my “terps”. Without them, there would be no success in building the Iraqi or Afghani armies.
So who are these cultural ambassadors on which we pin virtually all of our success in Iraq and Afghanistan? They tend to be well educated city boys between the ages of 19 to 25 who answered the American military’s need to communicate with their own people so that we can rebuild their countries and establish functional governments. The reasons for them working for Americans are almost as varied as the people that fill these roles. Almost to the person, terps knowingly put themselves and their families at great risk of facing brutal retribution by our enemies. All American’s deployed to these places put themselves in harm’s way. However, few place their families at risk by choosing to serve. Some have even left quiet lives in the United States to go back to their home country to give their fellow countrymen hope. The stakes are high for a terp, but the rewards of rebuilding their countries seem to out weigh the risks. In every firefight that I have experienced, I have had an interpreter right behind me, echoing my direction to the leaders I am advising. They are not professional soldiers, and they can easily walk away if they so choose.
In comparison to the average Afghan or Iraqi soldier, terps get paid like rock stars which is anywhere between $800 and $1300 a month. They quietly yearn for the day when they get picked for a special program that allows a small portion of interpreters to gain US citizenship on an annual basis. This is a rewarding program for a few interpreters, but we can do more. Rewarding these individuals with the privilege of being an American has the obvious benefit of gaining talented and energetic people that typify the American immigrant. The energy that they bring reflects the spirit that our country was founded upon. The drawbacks to allowing more interpreters to gain US citizenship are that they would likely face alienation from their new home and would deprive their countries of the same talented individuals that could easily rebuild other segments of their society. One healthy compromise on this current program is to allow more interpreters to attend American universities on a full scholarship and return to their country upon completion of a degree. Initially, the pool of qualified interpreters may dwindle, but returning a better educated work force to Iraq and Afghanistan would be well worth the investment of the time and money. The effects of such a program would have a longer lasting impact in both of these countries and likely result in increased long-term stability. Training the future leadership of these countries on our terms increases the chances of stable relations with them, and increases the odds of having a stable government. We are certainly spending the money on these countries, maybe we need to think about investing in education as well.
“Taliban” means “student” in Pashto. Maybe its time that we fight the Al Qaeda and the Taliban with our own “taliban”. Let’s set the conditions for a true victory over ideologies based on fear and ignorance with knowledge and education. Our interpreters can help us win these wars in more ways than just being a mouthpiece. Let’s give these unsung heroes a better chance at winning their war.
Editor’s Note: Capt. Balough is a 2001 graduate of the United States Military Academy, with a commission as an officer of infantry. During the last four months of his deployment to Iraq with 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Capt. Balough served as advisor to an Iraqi national guard company. Presently, Capt. Balough is with a mobile training team in Afghanistan.
Ellie