thedrifter
09-04-09, 09:23 AM
Respect
‘Be respectful to the elders who cansway the opinion of their entire family.’
Cpl. Sean P. Cummins
Combat Correspondent
As millions of Afghans await the outcome of their second presidential elections under their present constitution, dozens of Marines learned how little that may mean to the troops on the ground.
An Afghan Cultural Awareness Seminar was conducted Aug. 27 at the Alfred M. Gray Research Center to teach Marines Afghanistan’s history andexplain the conditions that lead to the current conflict.
The general population of Afghanistan has no loyalty to the central government, said Qamar-uddin Jabarkhiel, the instructor andsubject-matter expert on Afghanistan for Center for Advanced OperationalCulture Learning.
‘‘The presence of the United States has to make positive changes in the lives of ordinary Afghans who are living on the ground or living below the poverty line,” said Jabarkhiel. ‘‘The biggest thing [the Marines can learn] is to properlyinteract with the local population.”
Jabarkhiel set the stage for his seminar by introducing the Marines to thevarious groups in Afghanistan and how they relate to each other and their political figureheads.
Once a background was established, Jabarkhiel explained the different customs and courtesies of the culture. He taught attendees to be respectful to the elders who can sway the opinion of their entire family, and to remember that respect can be won or lost in a single action.
A handful of 2nd lieutenants from The Basic School were on hand to further their education of the current war.
‘‘It’s beneficial to officers because we could end up there in a year or so. I’d say the most important thing is probably [understanding] the difference in culture,” said 2nd Lt. Ryan J. Rosa, 24, New Kingston, NY. ‘‘It’s definitely important to understand their culture and where they come from, their heritage as well as their different customs.”
‘‘The most beneficial thing was learning how to interact with Afghans,” said 2nd Lt. Pete Carothers, 23, from Cincinnati, who is scheduled to attend Infantry Officers Course in earlyOctober. ‘‘A lot of the cultural integration [methods] will be useful since a lot of lieutenants are finding themselves as many as 30 miles, I hear, from the nearest [outpost].”
Cultural awareness classes, like this one, have become part of the pre-deployment training. As American forces find themselves more engaged with the citizens of the countries where they are deployed, cultural awareness becomes another tool to help the mission.
Ellie
‘Be respectful to the elders who cansway the opinion of their entire family.’
Cpl. Sean P. Cummins
Combat Correspondent
As millions of Afghans await the outcome of their second presidential elections under their present constitution, dozens of Marines learned how little that may mean to the troops on the ground.
An Afghan Cultural Awareness Seminar was conducted Aug. 27 at the Alfred M. Gray Research Center to teach Marines Afghanistan’s history andexplain the conditions that lead to the current conflict.
The general population of Afghanistan has no loyalty to the central government, said Qamar-uddin Jabarkhiel, the instructor andsubject-matter expert on Afghanistan for Center for Advanced OperationalCulture Learning.
‘‘The presence of the United States has to make positive changes in the lives of ordinary Afghans who are living on the ground or living below the poverty line,” said Jabarkhiel. ‘‘The biggest thing [the Marines can learn] is to properlyinteract with the local population.”
Jabarkhiel set the stage for his seminar by introducing the Marines to thevarious groups in Afghanistan and how they relate to each other and their political figureheads.
Once a background was established, Jabarkhiel explained the different customs and courtesies of the culture. He taught attendees to be respectful to the elders who can sway the opinion of their entire family, and to remember that respect can be won or lost in a single action.
A handful of 2nd lieutenants from The Basic School were on hand to further their education of the current war.
‘‘It’s beneficial to officers because we could end up there in a year or so. I’d say the most important thing is probably [understanding] the difference in culture,” said 2nd Lt. Ryan J. Rosa, 24, New Kingston, NY. ‘‘It’s definitely important to understand their culture and where they come from, their heritage as well as their different customs.”
‘‘The most beneficial thing was learning how to interact with Afghans,” said 2nd Lt. Pete Carothers, 23, from Cincinnati, who is scheduled to attend Infantry Officers Course in earlyOctober. ‘‘A lot of the cultural integration [methods] will be useful since a lot of lieutenants are finding themselves as many as 30 miles, I hear, from the nearest [outpost].”
Cultural awareness classes, like this one, have become part of the pre-deployment training. As American forces find themselves more engaged with the citizens of the countries where they are deployed, cultural awareness becomes another tool to help the mission.
Ellie