thedrifter
07-24-08, 06:07 AM
Infantry officer: Let's take care of 'terps' in Afghanistan, Iraq
By DAVID WEAVER
For The Evening Sun
Article Launched: 04/04/2008 02:49:34 PM EDT
As you read this, there are thousands of U.S. military men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who are diligently doing their jobs to defeat a veritable rogues' gallery of bad guys to include Sunni insurgents, Shia militias, common criminals, Taliban insurgents, and al Qaeda terrorists, among others. For many of them, if not most, their success is wholly dependant upon their ability to communicate with the local population. This face-to-face communication, in turn, is completely dependant not upon satellite communications or internet connections, but an old-fashioned translator. One of the characteristics of the current conflict our military, and soldiers and Marines in particular face, is the fact that this is a decidedly low tech war.
Various military advocates continue to tout the capability of the latest fighter jet, missile system, or other high tech new weapon system. Some of these really are making a difference, especially unmanned aerial vehicles. But for the fight we're in now, high tech weapons are not what will be decisive. Success will instead depend upon that infantry company or battalion commander, leading old-fashioned dirty boots riflemen, and tasked with training Afghan or Iraqi troops or otherwise wheeling and dealing with the local sheik to restore services to a shattered town. An American cavalry officer on the frontier in the 1870s would understand completely. Now, as then, understanding the intricacies of tribal culture and politics - as well as
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identifying enemy from friendly groups when they're all dressed the same - are major keys to success. Translators are simply critical to mission success.
Interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan, known as "terps" in U.S. military parlance, arrive in their jobs through different channels. Some are already U.S. citizens who are contracted in the states and sent over here. These contracts pay quite well and the terp has the option to quit and go home or re-negotiate. One of the contract terps who works with my unit speaking Turkish and Kurdish recently went home only a couple months after joining us.
Most terps, however, are recruited from among the local population. Many find the pay outstanding, although it's far less than that paid to American terps - it's likely better than what they could earn in most other lines of work. Of course, being a "local" terp carries enormous risk, especially if they are working in the same city where they live. Press reports are filled with accounts of terps whose identity was discovered by insurgents and he or his family was killed in retaliation. Many terps feel like orphans as the locals despise them as traitors and their U.S. employers regard them as potential spies - a real rock and hard place.
Nevertheless, many terps
develop with time great credibility with their U.S. military counterparts. To a large degree this is unavoidable. U.S. forces frequently live with their Iraqi military counterparts and the terp is needed constantly just to facilitate communication with the Iraqi military much less the Iraqi population. Fast friendships develop.
The natural bond between those who have shared hardship is a strong one and many in the U.S. military strongly believe that their terps have been invaluable to their success and should be recognized with U.S. citizenship.
No body can honestly foresee what Iraq and Afghanistan will look like in a year - or 10 years. One thing is certain: Iraqis and Afghans (and their families) who have worked for Coalition Forces will face retaliation when we leave. They have shared in the dangers we face. They have risked their lives to assist us in our mission. Terps in Iraq are over 10 times more likely to be killed than U.S. forces. The fear these men carry is pretty profound. One terp who works with my battalion told me he would love to move to the U.S. I mentioned the large Iraqi population around Detroit. This terp is a member of a persecuted minority population known as Yezidis and his reply was that, although he'd love to live in the U.S., he doesn't want to be around Iraqis. I guess I should have known.
An effort to expedite immigration packets for terps who have worked in Iraq and Afghanistan has proceeded in fits and starts - nowhere near fast enough in the view of many in the military. Many terps tell us they want a crack at the American dream. Currently, terps can apply for citizenship after service for a year. After this there is paperwork from the chain of command and, if approved, the packet moves forward for review but the process takes months.
Some of these terps are well educated and have proven their work ethic to be solid.
Section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act has allowed for a significant increase in immigration for terps and their families in fiscal years 2007-08. We should support this. If risking your life and that of your family while driving past roadside bombs with the U.S. military doesn't entitle you to get in the front of the immigration line, I sure as heck don't know what does. We could not have done our jobs without them. If we're a nation of immigrants, our terps have earned the right to join us. We owe them a chance to immigrate - our national honor is at stake.
Captain David Weaver is an infantry officer currently stationed in Mosul, Iraq. He holds a degree in U.S. history and works at Gettysburg National Military Park as a Licensed Battlefield Guide. He lives in Gettysburg with his wife Jennifer. He can be reached at dweavflyart@yahoo.com
Ellie
By DAVID WEAVER
For The Evening Sun
Article Launched: 04/04/2008 02:49:34 PM EDT
As you read this, there are thousands of U.S. military men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who are diligently doing their jobs to defeat a veritable rogues' gallery of bad guys to include Sunni insurgents, Shia militias, common criminals, Taliban insurgents, and al Qaeda terrorists, among others. For many of them, if not most, their success is wholly dependant upon their ability to communicate with the local population. This face-to-face communication, in turn, is completely dependant not upon satellite communications or internet connections, but an old-fashioned translator. One of the characteristics of the current conflict our military, and soldiers and Marines in particular face, is the fact that this is a decidedly low tech war.
Various military advocates continue to tout the capability of the latest fighter jet, missile system, or other high tech new weapon system. Some of these really are making a difference, especially unmanned aerial vehicles. But for the fight we're in now, high tech weapons are not what will be decisive. Success will instead depend upon that infantry company or battalion commander, leading old-fashioned dirty boots riflemen, and tasked with training Afghan or Iraqi troops or otherwise wheeling and dealing with the local sheik to restore services to a shattered town. An American cavalry officer on the frontier in the 1870s would understand completely. Now, as then, understanding the intricacies of tribal culture and politics - as well as
Advertisement
identifying enemy from friendly groups when they're all dressed the same - are major keys to success. Translators are simply critical to mission success.
Interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan, known as "terps" in U.S. military parlance, arrive in their jobs through different channels. Some are already U.S. citizens who are contracted in the states and sent over here. These contracts pay quite well and the terp has the option to quit and go home or re-negotiate. One of the contract terps who works with my unit speaking Turkish and Kurdish recently went home only a couple months after joining us.
Most terps, however, are recruited from among the local population. Many find the pay outstanding, although it's far less than that paid to American terps - it's likely better than what they could earn in most other lines of work. Of course, being a "local" terp carries enormous risk, especially if they are working in the same city where they live. Press reports are filled with accounts of terps whose identity was discovered by insurgents and he or his family was killed in retaliation. Many terps feel like orphans as the locals despise them as traitors and their U.S. employers regard them as potential spies - a real rock and hard place.
Nevertheless, many terps
develop with time great credibility with their U.S. military counterparts. To a large degree this is unavoidable. U.S. forces frequently live with their Iraqi military counterparts and the terp is needed constantly just to facilitate communication with the Iraqi military much less the Iraqi population. Fast friendships develop.
The natural bond between those who have shared hardship is a strong one and many in the U.S. military strongly believe that their terps have been invaluable to their success and should be recognized with U.S. citizenship.
No body can honestly foresee what Iraq and Afghanistan will look like in a year - or 10 years. One thing is certain: Iraqis and Afghans (and their families) who have worked for Coalition Forces will face retaliation when we leave. They have shared in the dangers we face. They have risked their lives to assist us in our mission. Terps in Iraq are over 10 times more likely to be killed than U.S. forces. The fear these men carry is pretty profound. One terp who works with my battalion told me he would love to move to the U.S. I mentioned the large Iraqi population around Detroit. This terp is a member of a persecuted minority population known as Yezidis and his reply was that, although he'd love to live in the U.S., he doesn't want to be around Iraqis. I guess I should have known.
An effort to expedite immigration packets for terps who have worked in Iraq and Afghanistan has proceeded in fits and starts - nowhere near fast enough in the view of many in the military. Many terps tell us they want a crack at the American dream. Currently, terps can apply for citizenship after service for a year. After this there is paperwork from the chain of command and, if approved, the packet moves forward for review but the process takes months.
Some of these terps are well educated and have proven their work ethic to be solid.
Section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act has allowed for a significant increase in immigration for terps and their families in fiscal years 2007-08. We should support this. If risking your life and that of your family while driving past roadside bombs with the U.S. military doesn't entitle you to get in the front of the immigration line, I sure as heck don't know what does. We could not have done our jobs without them. If we're a nation of immigrants, our terps have earned the right to join us. We owe them a chance to immigrate - our national honor is at stake.
Captain David Weaver is an infantry officer currently stationed in Mosul, Iraq. He holds a degree in U.S. history and works at Gettysburg National Military Park as a Licensed Battlefield Guide. He lives in Gettysburg with his wife Jennifer. He can be reached at dweavflyart@yahoo.com
Ellie