116th BCT Soldier learns culture and gains appreciation from Iraqi TV studio visits

Photo By Senior Airman Scott Johnson | This small boy was overjoyed when Staff Sgt. Scott Johnson, a 116th Brigade Combat Team information operations sergeant, recently took his photograph and gave him some Lifesavers candy during a visit to the Iraqi Media Network television studios in Kirkuk. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Johnson, 116th BCT Information Operations)  

KIRKUK, IRAQ

09.12.2005

Courtesy Story

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FOB WARRIOR, Iraq -- A sergeant with the 116th Brigade Combat Team stationed in Iraq says visits to a local TV station have opened his eyes to Iraqi hospitality, language and culture, and given him a new appreciation for his own life back home.

Staff Sgt. Scott Johnson, who serves as a soldier attached to the 116th BCT's Team Information Operations, has an additional duty of augmenting the security team that goes to assess regular TV programs at the Iraqi Media Network (IMN) studios in Kirkuk.

"We go out in a convoy and the Colonel meets with the managers of the show and I provide security," said Johnson.

Johnson says he is quite impressed with the hospitality provided by the staff at the station. When the coalition team arrives two staff members, Saddam and Ognon, promptly make Chai tea for them and run errands if needed.

"Having Chai is a custom that is part of the social interaction that I have begun to enjoy," said Johnson. "I have learned some Arabic and some Kurdish in the process. The people I see every trip have become very friendly and happy to see me."

From the security to the little kids outside the building everyone seems glad to see the soldiers, Johnson said.

"I have shared toys with the kids and candy with the security guards," he said. "The Iraqis know I am a smoker and always offer me cigarettes and have even bought me cookies from the break room at the station."

On one mission, the coalition team had the opportunity to interact with a group of school children that were visiting the station as part of a summer program.

"Seeing the children's faces light up when I brought them toys was a very rewarding experience," Johnson said. "I gave out candy and toys and they were very polite and thankful."

Another day the Iraqi staff gave out awards to those who had supported the station and its growth.

"While I was there, a small boy who was playing outside wanted me to take his picture'so I did and also gave him some Lifesavers Candy," said Johnson.

Johnson said the child was overcome with joy and motioned for him to bend down to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I did not understand what he was saying to me, all I could understand with the Arabic I know was a blessing, "May god (Allah) go with you." I must have made his day," said Johnson. "It really made me miss my own children. I hope that child will grow up and remember the kindness that this soldier showed him and he will teach his kids that the U.S. was here to help make things better."

Besides their consistent smiles and hospitality, Johnson has found that Iraqis are eager to share their native tongue with the soldiers.

"I have been getting lessons in Arabic from Saddam the tea maker as well as from our interpreters," he said. "Saddam speaks broken English and I speak broken Arabic but we seem to get the point across."

Johnson said Saddam and Ognon always want to talk about their families and the differences in life styles.

"Sometimes it is hard for us to explain things and I have to go get one of the interpreters to explain for me as my vocabulary in Arabic is so limited," Johnson said.

Johnson sees signs of improvement in Kirkuk on the routes the team takes back and forth to the TV shows during the week.

"People have gotten a trash service started and they are cleaning up the city. I also see that things are being rebuilt and improved," he said. "It is nice to see that we are doing some good here."

Johnson does point out, however, that his experience makes him appreciate the way of life he enjoys in the U.S.

"We don't have to worry about IEDs being emplaced at night. We have freedom to go from place to place without the worry of security," he explained. "We have had the right to vote for many years. We do not have the ethnic tensions which seem to cause constant issues here in Iraq."

Johnson says the hardest thing for him to deal with while being deployed is separation from family and friends back home.

"I truly appreciate the support we have gotten from the folks back home. My friends and family have been very supportive," he said. "They are the ones who make this job worthwhile and why I am proud to serve."

Helping facilitate communications and broadcasting is part of the 116th BCT's mission while deployed in north central Iraq. The unit's mission also includes assisting Iraq's new government, supporting economic development and improving security and stability in the region.

The 116th BCT is comprised of headquarters and staff sections, two armor battalions, a mechanized infantry battalion, a support battalion, a field artillery battalion, an engineer battalion, and various intelligence, signal, and specialized units. The 116th BCT is one of several Army National Guard units deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.

• Date Taken: 09.12.2005
• Date Posted: 09.12.2005 13:07
• Story ID: 2982
• Location: KIRKUK, IQ